Vows of Vengeance

by Rita Herron

  Luke jumped through the window, dropped to the ground and sprinted toward the woods where he’d entered the facility, his body throbbing, willing him to rest. But he fought the urge every step of the way. Behind him, the alarm wailed, guards rushed out and followed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw men in uniforms jump into their jeeps.

  Jesus, he didn’t know if he’d make it out.

  But Stella was back at the safe house waiting for him. He had to make sure she was safe. Find out if she’d slept with J.T. If she were responsible for his death.

  Then what?

  He had no idea. He had to focus on escaping now.

  Adrenaline kicked in, and he sped up. But the guards closed in on his tail. Just when he reached the edge of the woods, and he thought he might lose the men, shots rang out.

  The first one pierced his lower back, sending a stinging pain down his leg. Another one grazed his shoulder as he fell to the ground and tried to claw his way into the woods.

  STELLA CONTINUED studying the files, each time tidbits of the missions resurfacing, each time her distaste for what Sutton had turned her into sickening her. Why had she not been stronger? Able to fight his brainwashing techniques?

  Because she owed her genetics to him?

  A shudder rippled up her spine.

  She fished through several more files, then found pictures of her with another man. She read the data. J.T. Osborne.

  Dear heavens, Luke’s partner.

  She skimmed the material, her anxiety rising as she realized that she had been working with J.T. That J.T.’s death had ultimately led her to seek out Luke.

  But was she responsible for J.T.’s demise?

  Sutton’s cell phone trilled, and he answered it, his jaw tightening as he listened. As he hung up, he turned to her with a smile. “You said you were here to stay now, Stella?”

  She nodded, a mixture of disgust and fear welling in her throat.

  “Then come with me. I know exactly how you can prove yourself.”

  Anxiety knotted her stomach at Kat’s and Jaycee’s smiles. Wondering what Sutton had in store for her, she followed him to his Cadillac, her mind spinning. That call had something to do with her. And maybe with Luke.

  Sutton remained quiet as his driver wound from the island to the marina. When she heard Sutton commandeer a boat for them to go to Nighthawk Island, the tension in her body doubled. Was he going to force her to undergo some kind of physical test? Drug her again?

  Or perhaps he wanted to recondition her with some sensory deprivation treatment.

  She trembled at the thought. She could not be locked up again. Deprived of light. Endure those shock treatments…

  Salty water sprayed her, and the wind whipped her hair around her face as they zoomed across the choppy waters in the boat. Stella fought her nerves while formulating a plan in her head. If Sutton had sinister plans for her, she’d have to escape, find a phone, call Luke, warn him. She’d do anything just to see his face again.

  When they reached the island, Sutton climbed ashore, then reached for her hand. Hers trembled. His felt icy to the touch.

  He put his arm around her, guided her to a Jeep where a uniformed guard waited, an Uzi slung over his massive arm. She was sure Sutton was armed as well, leaving her feeling even more vulnerable. She wished she hadn’t left the gun Luke had given her in the cabin, but she’d wanted to prove to Sutton she was playing his game.

  She scanned the island, noted the palm trees, the woods and the sections of uninhabited land. The scenery would have been beautiful if not for the dire secrets the island held. Trying to remain calm, she glanced at Sutton, hoping for some sort of a commentary or announcement as to his plan, but he remained silent, his expression as granitelike as the concrete pillars that formed the guard towers protecting CIRP.

  She forced herself to remember the night before. The way Luke had touched her. The way he’d held her. The way he’d moaned her name as he’d slid inside her.

  She desperately wanted that feeling again.

  The Jeep bounced over the ruts of the unpaved road, slinging seashells and dirt, closing the distance between her and whatever test the island held.

  Another turn, and they stopped at a small building, one separated from the main facility. It was growing dark outside, the gray sky casting a dim murkiness over the building, adding to her frayed nerves. This building was separate for a reason.

  So no one would know what was inside.

  Maybe Sutton had decided to kill her…

  “Come, Stella. I have something you need to see.”

  She accepted his outstretched hand, determined to play the part she’d commissioned for herself at his house.

  The guard let them in, and Sutton walked her back to a small room with no windows. Shadows clung to the walls and ceiling, and the floor was made of cold concrete.

  A body lay sprawled on the cement. Blood oozed into a puddle beside the man. His hair was dark… his size looked right. Dear God, no, it couldn’t be.

  Sutton stalked forward, then kicked the man, triggering more blood to spurt from his injuries. He grunted, then rolled over, and Stella’s heart vaulted to her throat.

  It was Luke.

  He’d been shot twice, was unconscious and had been beaten so badly he looked near death.

  “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE to him?” Stella asked.

  “We need information.” Sutton smirked. “He wasn’t forthcoming.”

  Stella turned to Sutton, every cell in her body honed with hatred. For all he had done to her. For letting Nadine and Bianca die. For hurting Luke.

  “What kind of information?” she said through gritted teeth.

  “The name of the undercover agent here at Nighthawk Island.” Sutton twisted a strand of her hair around his finger. “You want to save lover boy. Tell me, Stella.”

  “I told you I don’t know.”

  “Ahh, he didn’t trust you with that information?”

  He was right. Although she couldn’t blame Luke. It was better she didn’t know.

  Sutton moved to the counter along the wall, opened a drawer and removed a hypodermic. “If you really are working with me, then give him this.”

  Stella stared at the needle, her mind lapsing back years. To all the injections she’d been given. “What kind of drug is it?” Stella asked.

  Luke moaned and opened his eyes, looking up at her. He had a dazed expression as if he was fighting for his life. She couldn’t let him die.

  “A truth serum,” Sutton said.

  “No,” Luke groaned. “Deadly.”

  Sutton laughed. “The Tank simply told you that, Devlin. It is nothing but a truth serum.” He offered Stella a challenging look. “Then again, he might be right.”

  Stella schooled her reaction. Sutton was forcing her to take the ultimate test. Whether the drug was deadly or not, Sutton would never let Luke go, not alive.

  “Let him live, and I will work with you,” Stella said coolly. “You can erase my memory.”

  Sutton’s brow arched. “Devlin knows too much, Stella.”

  “You can erase his memory, too, Drake.” She hardened her eyes. “Use your logic. If Luke walks away alive with nothing to pin on you, it will draw far less attention to you and CIRP than another murder.”

  Sutton stared into her eyes, seemingly studying her. Searching to see if she were bluffing.

  “I’ll swear my allegiance to you,” Stella said. “I’ll go willingly and never leave your organization again.”

  Sutton paused, his assessing look lingering for a tension filled minute. Then he shook his head. “Give him the shot, Stella. You must follow my commands now if I’m to believe you.”

  She offered Luke an apologetic look, then accepted the hypodermic from Sutton. Seconds later, she moved slowly toward Luke.

  LUKE STRUGGLED to make sense of what was happening, but his head was foggy, his body shutting down. Riddled with pain, he lifted his head as Stella approached. If the drug held the deadly chemi
cal the Tank had promised, his pain would grow intense quickly.

  Then it would be over.

  But what would happen to Stella?

  He couldn’t allow her to sacrifice herself to Sutton and be a pawn in his twisted game the rest of her life. Even if she had seduced and killed J.T…

  She knelt and looked into his eyes. Tears misted her dark eyelashes as she lifted his arm and pushed at his sleeve. “I’m sorry, Luke.”

  “Shh.” He forced a pain-filled smile. “The memory erasing would never have worked, Stella. I love you too much to ever forget you.”

  A tear trickled down her cheek, then another. “But, Luke, I’ve done so many bad things…. Your partner…”

  He didn’t want to hear her say it. He tried to lift his fingers to wipe away her tears, but his hand fell limp to his side.

  “Go ahead, Stella,” Sutton barked.

  Stella closed her eyes, squeezed Luke’s hand, then raised the needle.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Stella couldn’t do it.

  In spite of her suspicions about Luke’s partner and her past, Luke had just confessed his love for her. And although she couldn’t voice the sentiment herself, she knew in her heart that she loved him. But how could he ever forgive her for her past transgressions?

  And what if she had killed his partner…? Her memories were still so scattered.

  Sutton inched up beside her as if to take pleasure in watching her give Luke the injection while one of the guards hovered nearby. Thankfully the Tank and the second guard hadn’t returned yet.

  Sutton wanted her to betray Luke. Irate at the thought, Stella angled her head and smiled at him, then suddenly shot up, took him by surprise and jammed the needle into his thigh. The guard lurched forward, but she grabbed his gun and shot him, sending him down in a dead heap.

  Sutton yelped, and clutched his leg as he collapsed onto the floor, his eyes bulging in shock. “What have you done, Stella?”

  “I’d rather die with Luke than to go back and be the person you made me.”

  Sutton’s body jerked. “No, Stella…”

  “Now tell me the truth, Drake. What happened to Raul? He was helping me escape, I remember that much. So why would I have killed him?”

  Sutton’s breathing had grown erratic. Realizing his death was imminent, he mumbled, “I killed him. Had to get you back.”

  Stella narrowed her eyes. “Because I had fallen for Luke?”

  He nodded. “You wanted out. I couldn’t lose you.”

  “What about J.T.?” Stella asked.

  Sutton groaned and rocked back and forth. “You were working with him. Leaking information from us to him…he had to die.”

  Stella gasped. So she hadn’t killed him. Thank God.

  “So you drugged Stella,” Luke murmured slowly. “Then you framed her for Jarad’s murder to force her to rely on you.”

  Sutton nodded. “It would have worked, too, if you hadn’t shown up.”

  “What about her mother?” Luke asked in a low voice. “You abducted Stella and the others, didn’t you?”

  Stella glanced at Luke. He was growing weaker and weaker.

  “Did she sell me?” Stella asked.

  Sutton hesitated, his body spasming. The drug had been lethal. He was turning blue.

  If she’d given it to Luke, he would be dying now.

  He still might be. She had to get him immediate medical assistance.

  Sutton gasped, then lapsed into a series of convulsions that robbed his reply.

  Stella bent down to shake him. She wanted that answer. But Sutton’s eyes rolled up in his head, and he gasped his last breath. Luke choked, coughing up blood, and there was no more time. She had to hurry or he would die here with Sutton.

  She reached for Luke and slid her arm under his shoulder for support. “Come on, we have to get out of here.”

  “I can’t make it,” Luke groaned. “Go on, Stella, save yourself.”

  A tall dark-haired man with bulging muscles opened the door.

  She didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Sutton’s weapon and fired a single bullet. A perfect shot. The man’s body bounced backward and hit the wall, blood spurting from his forehead.

  “I’m not leaving without you, Luke.”

  He waved her off. “Go on, you can make it faster on your own…” His voice broke off in pain.

  “No, Luke.” She wielded the gun beside her, grabbed the dead man’s weapon, and dragged Luke to a standing position. Luke struggled, his body sagging as they ran toward the door.

  As they crossed the hall, a guard jumped out from the corner and fired. Stella and Luke ducked into a doorway, then she slipped forward and pulled the trigger. The guard dropped to the floor. Together, she and Luke battled their way past two more guards to the outside. Darkness shielded them as they wove into the shadows along the side of the building. She spotted Sutton’s Jeep, so she motioned to Luke, and they set out for it. Halfway there, another guard attacked, but Luke shot him while Stella climbed into the driver’s seat and hot-wired the vehicle. Luke fell into the passenger’s seat, ducking low, but covering them as another guard chased after them.

  Stella hit the accelerator and tore down the graveled road toward the boat where she’d come onto the island.

  “No, go the other way,” Luke shouted over the wind. “There’s a cove where I came in. I stashed a boat there. It’s secluded, the security cameras won’t pick us up.”

  She nodded, spun the Jeep onto the graveled road that led in the opposite direction, then hurled over rocks and ruts in the dirt as they wound their way across the island.

  Stella glanced at him, her stomach lurching at his pallor. He needed medical treatment immediately. She yanked his phone from his pocket.

  He punched in the numbers, his hands shaking. She pressed the gas and sped up. Checking over her shoulder, she noticed another Jeep in the distance behind her.

  “Spencer, it’s Devlin. I need backup. Get someone to meet me at the cove where I docked on the island.”

  Stella grabbed the phone. “And have an ambulance ready. Luke’s been shot twice, he needs immediate medical attention.”

  Luke stared at her, his eyes bleak as they raced ahead through the darkness.

  Stella prayed that they made it in time. She couldn’t lose Luke now.

  LUKE STRUGGLED to remain conscious, but his body was too weak. He’d lost a lot of blood, and the pain had dulled to a deep aching throb that warned him he might not survive. But at least Stella was safely away from Sutton.

  He knew what that altercation had cost her. She’d killed the only man she’d ever thought of as a father. And she’d done it to save his life.

  He closed his eyes, unable to fight the dizziness. He had to reserve his strength in case Stella needed him later. But Spencer was on his way, or maybe he’d send Black and Fox.

  He blinked and glanced at Stella, amazed at her strength. No wonder he’d fallen in love with her. When he’d first met her, he’d glimpsed the vulnerable child inside, but also detected the courage and strength below the surface. That combination had been too heady to resist.

  If only he could erase the cruelties she’d suffered at the hands of Sutton.

  Once again, fatigue claimed him. When he opened his eyes, they’d reached the cove. Stella slung the Uzi over her shoulder, then jumped out and rushed to help him. Determined not to be a burden, he grabbed the other weapon, and hoisted himself out. But his knees buckled.

  She slid an arm beneath his shoulder and encircled his waist. Seconds later, a boat raced up to the shore, and Spencer jumped off.

  “Thank God,” Luke muttered.

  Stella stilled beside him, her face turning ashen. “Oh, my God, it’s you.”

  Luke frowned, still clinging to her. “You’ve met?”

  Stella gripped him tighter. “Yes, Luke. He works with Sutton. He’s…the monster they call the Master.”

  Luke staggered in shock, as if he’d had the air knocked from his
lungs. “No.” But the minute he uttered the denial, Spencer lifted a gun and waved it toward them.

  A second later, Luke recovered. His mind spun, piecing together all the unknown factors of the last few months. J.T.’s death. Spencer being antagonistic toward him. His reaction when Luke had announced he intended to marry Stella. “What’s going on?” Luke asked.

  “You got too close,” Spencer said. “Both of you.”

  “I don’t understand,” Luke said, the sea beyond a hazy blur as he clung to life.

  “But she does.” Spencer gestured toward Stella.

  “You were with Sutton years ago, the day of the fire,” Stella said as if in a daze. “I remembered seeing another man waiting outside the burning building, but I couldn’t make out his face.”

  “I thought you wouldn’t remember,” Spencer growled. “But when Osborne came to me and said you wanted away from Sutton, I knew I had to do something.”

  Pain knifed through Luke. “You killed J.T.?”

  Spencer shrugged. “I couldn’t let him discover the truth.”

  “That you were in charge of that experiment years ago,” Stella said.

  “What about Quinn?” Luke barked. “Have you revealed his assignment?”

  Spencer laughed. “Are you kidding? I plan to use him to extract information on some of the projects.”

  Then he’d kill him.

  “So that’s how Sutton and his team have gotten away scot-free with everything they’ve done the past few years,” Luke said.

  Spencer sneered. “Everything was working fine until Stella contacted you, Devlin.”

  Until he’d fallen for her. And vice versa.

  Luke clutched at his chest. “You bastard.”

  Spencer glared at Stella. “And Sutton, the damn man had to go soft on you, too. Even bailed you out of jail thinking he could bring you back into the organization.”

  “But it didn’t work,” Stella said.

  Because she was strong, independent, Luke thought. She’d been fighting to escape long before he’d met her. And J.T. had lost his life helping her.

  “Get in the boat,” Spencer ordered.

  Stella and Luke exchanged wary glances, then Stella helped him forward. As soon as Stella climbed in, Spencer appeared behind Luke and shoved the gun in his back. Luke was dying already.