by Jenika Snow
She slipped the panic button in her pocket and held the knife with both hands, her entire body shaking as she stepped backward. Please hurry, Gage! She gazed at what he held, realizing it wasn’t an ordinary gun. She watched as Theo grinned before he pulled the trigger. She ducked, slipping on the floor as she tried to escape. The knife clattered against the tile, her socks not giving her any traction as she ran into the dining room. She heard something whiz by her, and she ran faster. She gasped when something stabbed into the side of her neck. She didn’t stop as she lifted her hand and pulled it out. Everything around her started to become slow, the edges of the room getting hazy and out of focus.
“Right now, a heavy tranquilizer is circulating through your bloodstream. In a matter of minutes, you will be unconscious.”
She tilted on her feet, his words becoming slow and distorted, his form wavering.
“Soon we will be together, Neeka.” He walked over to her, placing the gun at the small of his back as he embraced her.
She wanted to push him away, but her arms felt like lead and wouldn’t move. Her lids grew heavy, but she fought it, knowing she needed to stay conscious. It was a hopeless fight. The smell of his liquor-laced breath was the last thing she was aware of before she succumbed to the darkness.
Chapter Thirteen
Gage sat behind the command station at Alpha One, his hands behind his head, his gaze trained on the ten monitors that showed numerous scenes of the base’s property. Although his full focus and attention should have been on those monitors, the only thing he could think about was Neeka.
“Hey, what’s on your mind?”
Gage turned around to the thickly accented voice behind him. Damian Dubrinski stood at six feet seven inches, and towered over most of the Alpha One assassins. His pale blond hair and ice blue eyes were a testament to the arctic tundra of his birth place. Alpha One had recruited the assassin from Siberia, high in the ice-capped mountains and snow-laden land. He was a ruthless killing machine, one of their best soldiers, but he was a gentle giant when he wasn’t faced with his enemies.
Gage sighed and ran a hand over his hair, looking back over the screens but not noticing what was really happening. “Not much.” Damian sat beside him, silence between the two soldiers. Gage was thankful Damian picked up on the fact he had no desire to discuss what he was really thinking. They sat there in a comfortable silence until a small alarm starting going off on the control panel. Confusion coursed through Gage as he brought up the screen. A set of coordinates were displayed, his eyes growing wide when he realized it was the panic button he had given Neeka.
He shot out of his chair, rushing to the weapons room, his heart beating a mile a minute as Damian followed close behind. It didn’t matter that no one knew Gage’s feelings toward Neeka. When a panic button went off, everyone not on a mission was involved.
* * * *
“Wake up, princess.”
Neeka groaned and rolled onto her back, her entire body stiff and her neck throbbing. The voice that roused her sounded familiar, but her mind felt like it was underwater, and she couldn’t quite place it.
“Give her a minute. The drug is still in her system.”
She placed her hand on her head as she slowly sat up, the feeling of light headedness causing her stomach to roll with queasiness. She opened her eyes, blinding florescent lights stinging her vision so she was forced to shut them again.
“She’s coming around now. Perfect timing.”
She knew that voice, but she still couldn’t place it. Again she opened her eyes, everything blurry but slowly focusing. At first, she didn’t know who the two men in front of her were, but soon, recognition set in.
Rye and Theo stood in front of her, smirks on their faces as several other men adjusted their guns in their arms. “How are you feeling, darling?”
Theo’s sickly sweet voice was like acid to her. He walked toward her and helped her up, her legs wobbling so she was forced to grip his arm or fall back on the floor.
“The medication will wear off shortly. In another ten minutes, you will be feeling like your old self again.”
She looked at Rye as he spoke. She shrugged Theo away from her, a scowl crossing his features from her actions. “I’m not going to even ask why I’m here because you made your plans clear already, Dr. Vincent.”
“Now, Neeka, I’ve known you your whole life. There is no need for formalities here.” He took a step closer, and she tensed, not knowing what to expect. “You caused me a lot of trouble these past few weeks, my dear.”
She looked at Theo as Rye spoke, not surprised that he was somehow involved in all of this. “What do you have to do with any of this, Theo?”
He breathed out as though she were a child and what she said was frustrating. “I’ve been working with Dr. Vincent for years now. When I discovered what he had planned, I made a deal with him. I would give him the offspring he needed to continue his work, and he would let me have you exclusively. It’s a triumph for everyone. Rye gets what he wants, I get what I want, and you get to be a mother, Neeka.”
At first she wasn’t sure what he meant by giving Rye offspring, but the longer she stared at him, the more realization set in. “I will not be having any ‘offspring’ with you, Theo. You’re both insane.”
They chuckled in unison, and the sound sent cold dread through her. “What choice do you have? Your father’s dead, and everyone thinks we are to wed. Trust me. I’ve been planning this for a very long time. It would have been so much easier if you were willing, but I’m not picky. I’ll take what I can get.”
“Please. You don’t have to do this. You can’t do this.”
“We already have. Who will save you? Besides, I told you everyone thinks we are to wed, so they won’t even wonder why you aren’t around.” Theo stared at her for a long moment before continuing. “If you think he will come for you," he looked at Rye and smirked and then turned back toward her, “then you are truly mistaken. He’s been paid for his services, and men like him only fuck women to pass the time. You didn’t actually think he had feelings for you, did you?” His face showed amusement but then turned blotchy and red. “He will never love you the way I do!”
He stormed toward her and gripped her cheeks in his fingers so tightly she made a small sound of pain. She didn’t know what he saw in her expression, but in that second his features had become dark and foreboding. He smashed his mouth against hers, his teeth hitting hers while his fingers pressed inward. He pushed her away, and she stumbled backward. She wanted to scream that Gage would come for her, but she bit her tongue, her cheeks already feeling bruised by Theo’s abuse.
Rye and Theo started talking quietly to each other, and she took a moment to look at her surroundings. She knew exactly where she was as soon as she took the time to really notice. She stood in the center of Theo’s cabin, no more than twenty miles from her father’s home. Spacious windows lined an entire wall, letting the view of the mountains come through while the sun painted the sky a milky blue. She had come here with her father numerous times when she was a teenager, skiing in the mountains during the winter months, or hiking the trails during the summer. She used to love this place, but now she hated it with a passion.
She knew the layout of the cabin, but guards with heavy-duty guns were stationed at every possible exit. Their eyes were trained on her, their guns pointing to the ceiling, their fingers on the triggers. Theo and Rye continued to speak, their gazes darting over to her occasionally. She could still feel the panic button in her pocket, the metal heating to her body temperature and reminding her that help would arrive soon, she hoped. She jumped when Theo clapped his hands and looked at her expectantly.
“Well, darling, looks like we get to play after all. No time like the present to start making a family.”
Her eyes grew wide at the way Theo was eyeing her body. Chills swept down her spine at the thought of what he was about to do. “No, please, no.” She held her hands in front of her and slowly b
acked up. She turned around, knowing every possible escape route was blocked and not knowing what to do. No way was she going to allow Theo to rape her. She turned around, only taking a few steps before Theo yanked her back by her hair. She flailed her arms in every direction as she tried to right herself. Pain crashed into her skull, and she felt Theo’s arm wrap around her middle, his hand painfully grabbing her breast.
He lifted her easily, carrying her into a bedroom and slamming the door shut. She kicked and screamed, but it was no use, Theo was strong. He tossed her on the bed, and she scrambled to get away, but he grabbed her feet and tugged her down. She sat up and started swinging, hitting him in the side of the face and feeling triumphant. She screamed when he backhanded her, the momentum sending her flying over the side of the bed and hitting the wood floor hard. She landed on her wrist and cried out. Theo grabbed her feet again and dragged her down. He flipped her over and lifted her, throwing her on the bed again as he started unbuttoning his shirt.
“You know, you put up a fight, but to be honest, I kind of like it. It makes me work for the prize I’m about to get.” He tossed his shirt to the ground and started going for the belt on his slacks.
She moved to the top of the bed, screaming when he crawled on it, his pants half open, his grin wide. He gripped her legs forcefully and pulled her down so she was under him, his mouth sucking on her cheek and neck as he tried to unbutton her jeans. She kicked and screamed but knew no one would come to her rescue. Oh please, Gage. Where are you? Bile rose in her throat as she desperately fought to get him off of her. She was growing so tired, her arms aching from her movements, her lungs burning from her breathing. In the next second, a sequence of gunshots rang outside the room. Theo momentarily stopped, holding her tightly as he zipped his pants up with his free hand.
“Where is she? Where the fuck is Neeka?”
Her heart beat faster when she heard Gage’s enraged voice. Theo started to move off of her, keeping a grip on her neck as he smiled sadistically. She tried to push him away, but he was too strong. Just then, the bedroom door splintered inward, shards of wood spraying the room as shouts and swearing rang out. Theo’s heavy weight was suddenly gone, and she slowly sat up, tears streaming down her face as she watched Gage slam fist after angry fist into Theo’s face. Blood sprayed out of Theo’s nose and mouth, his eyes rolling back in his head, but Gage didn’t let up his beating. It wasn’t until several men in the same black military attire Gage wore pried him off Theo. They shouted things at him until the rage in Gage’s eyes dimmed.
He turned his green gaze on her, and she sucked in a breath, never more happy to see him than she was right then. He rushed over to her, falling to his knees in front of her and grabbing her hands. He brought them to his lips and kissed them gently before placing them over his heart.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry it took us so long to get to you.”
She started crying harder, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him hold her tight. “I’m okay now that you’re here.”
“Caleb, Ruick, take care of that fucker.” He carried her out of the room, and she saw the numerous bodies littering the ground, all of them men who worked for Rye. She looked around, not seeing his body, fear sucking the air from her lungs.
“He wasn’t here when we raided the house. We don’t know where he went, but we don’t doubt this place has alternate exits that are hidden. My main concern was finding you and making sure you were okay.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and watched as they dragged Theo out by the arms, his face bloody and bruised. “Is he alive?”
“Yeah, unfortunately.” There was dark hatred in his words, and he held her closer to his body. “He’s going to be interrogated, and he’ll give up Rye Vincent’s location.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“He will.” His words were hard and final.
He carried her out of the house and helped her into the SUV. He strapped the seatbelt over her, then stopped before he closed the door and watched her. He cupped her cheek in his big hand, his thumb running over the bottom of her lips, but then stopped when she winced. She saw the way his jaw tensed, his eyes roaming over her, his head moving closer until he was kissing every tender spot on her face. She closed her eyes and sighed. She didn’t care what was right or wrong, she needed to be with Gage, or her life would never be complete.
Chapter Fourteen
One month later
Neeka looked down at the glossy photos of the men Rye Vincent had captured. There were twenty different faces staring back at her, all of them ranging from late teens to early thirties. Each of them had a name beside it. David, Samuel, and Lukas, seemed normal, ordinary even, but the men in the pictures were anything but. They had hard, hate-filled expressions that matched their powerful bodies. She worried about them, worried about what Rye had done to them. Alpha One took them in, planned on helping them get back to some semblance of normality. She remembered Adaym, remembered the expression that had crossed his face when she had looked into his glowing eyes. There was no photo of Adaym with the others, and there had been no report of a man matching his description being rescued. She didn’t know if he had escaped when Gage had first rescued her or if Rye had captured him again and was continuing to perform experiments on him. They hadn’t gotten much information out of Theo, given the fact that he had slipped into a coma shortly after they had returned to base. They were still waiting for him to wake up so that he could be questioned.
Since Gage had rescued her from Rye and Theo’s capture, she had been staying at her father’s house. She was in the process of selling her condo and was on a temporary leave of absence from work. Although she and Gage had been seeing each other, their relationship had been kept quiet from anyone who didn’t need to know. Alpha One knew about them being together since it was kind of hard to dispute the reasons he kept visiting her at her father’s home. As it was, with his current missions, she was lucky enough to see him every other weekend. She wasn’t complaining, though, because she got to see him and that was all that mattered. Whatever time they had was precious to her.
She stood and looked down at her kitchen table, the photos scattered everywhere, each face seeming lonely and desolate. Gage had given them to her before he left for his latest mission, and they hadn't moved from her table since. She looked at them every night, trying to learn what she could about the men in the pictures. It broke her heart knowing all the atrocities Rye Vincent had done to those poor boys and men.
She walked toward the refrigerator, opening it and deciding what she was going to prepare for dinner. She bent over and reached for some thawing steaks, hearing footsteps behind her and smiling. The clean, masculine scent of Gage washed through her just as he wrapped his strong arms around her waist.
“I missed you, baby.”
She smiled to herself, Gage’s deep voice vibrating from her ear all the way down to her clit. Her nipples beaded up, and she straightened. She turned around and was immediately embraced by him. He smelled of fresh soap and wilderness, and the aroma of him washed through her. His hair was wet from his recent shower, and he only wore a pair of loose jeans. A gush of wetness slid out of her and coated her panties, her pussy lips tingling with arousal.
When he had arrived earlier tonight, he had sent the staff away and the guards from Alpha One he insisted she have at all times when he was not around. Although the danger of them being together was still strong, it was too hard for them not to be together. It had taken Neeka to tell him that whether they were together or not, unexpected and tragic things could happen. Although he insisted she was better off without him, safer even, she had to lay it down bare for him. Because of Rye still being out there, she would never be safe, but as long as he was with her, she had a better chance of survival than if he wasn’t with her at all. All of that was true, but she may have laid it on thick to show him life was too short to worry about what could happen. That had been all it had taken, and he had finally understo
od.
He moved her forward and the fridge closed as her ass bumped into it. His erection pressed against her belly and sent heat through her.
“I missed you, too.” He had been gone for two weeks on this mission, and it seemed like an eternity. His mouth slanted on hers, his tongue licking at the seam of her lips until she opened on a moan. Their tongues pressed against each other, dueling for supremacy until she finally submitted to him. He walked her backward, her bottom bumping into the counter, her legs spreading on their own accord.
“This is what I’ve been thinking about. When I closed my eyes, I swear I could smell you, that sweet honeysuckle and vanilla scent that lingers on your skin,” he murmured against her neck, his tongue and lips teasing and tantalizing her flesh. “My cock was so hard for you those whole two weeks.” He emphasized his point by grinding his shaft into her stomach, his low groan sending her desire higher. His hand slipped between their bodies, his mouth still licking and sucking at her throat as he started to unbutton and unzip her shorts.
He speared his hand beneath her panties, his fingers sliding down her slit, spreading her lips wide so that she was forced to spread her thighs and go onto her toes. She let her head fall back as his other hand snaked behind her and gripped her ass cheek, clenching and unclenching on the globe until she was wantonly thrusting her hips at him. His finger teased the opening of her pussy, dipping in partly before pulling the digit out and running small circles around her clit.
She closed her eyes, the pleasure so intense it was leaving her breathless. His mouth moved to her breasts, the cotton white tee and thin bra she wore hardly a barrier as his mouth went to work on her nipple. He didn’t bother removing her shirt, just bit and licked, sucked and massaged the mound until she was panting and dizzy.