Hughes snickered. “Let him try.” He smacked my ass. Hard. I gasped, my skin stinging from the blow.
Hughes kept striding deeper into the maze, carrying me farther away from Noah.
And closer to a terrifyingly unknown fate.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Noah
It was hard to admit I’d been bested. I’d met someone who was as smart, as skilled, as tech savvy as I was. Someone who was, in fact, better than me. A worthy opponent. A true villain.
Hughes had outsmarted me. He’d gotten past my system. It must have something to do with his ability to make himself invisible. Was he undetectable when he was invisible? He’d somehow hacked into my damn computer, no easy feat. No one had ever done that before. Did his invisibility extend to tech-related things as well? The man was covert in all things. No wonder The General hadn’t discharged him.
And now he’d taken Shannon.
My heart twisted, imagining all the horrible things he might do to her. I’d failed her.
I drew in a ragged breath. I had to get her back.
And then the truth struck me hard, skewering me through the heart.
I had fallen for Shannon. Somehow over the past few days, or hours, or even minutes, I had let her in. I had opened myself up to her. She had burrowed deep inside my heart, and there was no pushing her back out.
I’m in love with her.
A rush of emotion swelled over me. It was true. I loved her.
I had fallen in love with Shannon.
And I wasn’t about to let Hughes hurt her.
I’d been taught as a soldier for The Company to not have any attachments. Any weakness. To remain cold and detached.
But now I knew the truth.
Love is not weakness. It is power.
I needed to use that power to take down Hughes. I needed to turn his advantage into a disadvantage.
Hughes may have won this round. But I planned to win the next one. I planned to end this war. To get Shannon back.
This battle was far from over.
It had only just begun.
I needed to keep Hughes engaged so I could find him. And free Shannon.
My head still spun from all the painful blows. Front. Back. Left temple. Right. My skull had taken a serious beating under Hughes’ attack, my brain battered about, the fogginess still hovering around. Fighting off the dizziness took all of my concentration. That man was a beast.
Hold on. Wait. You already have a slight advantage.
The tracking device.
The thought shoved its way forward, a persistent reminder that all wasn’t lost yet.
That’s right. I’d stuck that tracking device in his pocket as he’d slammed me backward. As long as he didn’t discover it, or he didn’t remove his pants and leave them behind, I could track him. And Shannon.
“I stuck a tracking device on him. Help me to my computer.”
Ryan and Luke helped me off the bed and into the living room, then into the chair at my computer. My head spun from the movement, and it was several moments before I could see clearly enough to pull up the tracking signal on the screen. My brain matter was still trying to realign itself after being slammed about in my skull.
Hughes was currently in the hedge maze, heading east.
“He’s in the maze.”
Luke nodded. “Let’s go get him.”
I tried to get up from the chair, then tipped forward. Ryan caught me and set me back in the chair. “Not you. Stay here and talk to us through our mics. You can guide us to him, and we’ll take him out.”
I wanted to be there helping to save Shannon, but if I couldn’t even stand up without getting dizzy, then I would be useless out there. But here, in the chair—if I could stay conscious—then I could guide Ryan and Luke right to him.
“Don’t underestimate him,” I warned. “He’s like five or six dregs in one.”
Luke’s gaze narrowed on mine. “I hate to say this, man, but he used your weakness against you. You should have expected the unexpected from him.”
Heat rushed into my face. He was right. But even knowing Hughes was Company material, I still hadn’t anticipated his abilities. How could I have known he was capable of getting past all security measures? Even Tony couldn’t do that. But now that I knew what I was dealing with, I wouldn’t let Hughes beat me again. I would be prepared for anything.
“What about the drone?” Ryan asked. “If he’s in the maze, then you might be able to spot him from above with the drone.”
“That’s a good idea. It’s out in my trailer. Maybe I’ll be able to find him from above.”
“I’ll get it.” Luke hurried out.
Moments later, he was back with my drone. I activated it with my iPad, then handed it to Luke. “Go ahead. Turn it loose outside. I’ll control it from in here.”
Minutes later, the drone was in the sky, and Ryan and Luke were heading into the maze. I flew the drone over the maze, the infra-red camera sending images back to my iPad. I couldn’t see Hughes or Shannon anywhere. The tracking device said they were still in the maze, but when the drone hovered over it, nothing was there.
Had Hughes simply made himself invisible? The more I thought about it, the more I suspected his invisibility made him completely undetectable. What the hell kind of beast was Hughes? And how the hell could I best him?
I landed the drone, then guided Ryan and Luke toward the bleeping light that was tracking Hughes, waiting tensely for them to find him. To find Shannon.
“There’s no one here,” Luke said into the mic. “Are you sure the tracking device is working?”
My heart sank. He was gone. Don’t give up yet. Don’t give up.
“You should be coming up onto him any second. To your right. But remember, he can make himself invisible.”
There was no response for several tense moments while I waited. What was going on? Had they encountered Hughes?
“Guys, give me something here. What’s going on?”
Finally, Ryan responded. “Sorry man, but he gave us the slip. We found the tracking device on the ground. And no sign of him or Shannon.”
Failure hit me like a painful blow. Fuck. The estate was huge, a sprawling thirty acres with hundreds of trees, outbuildings, a greenhouse, a tennis court, the hedge maze, even a small golf course. In short, places to hide everywhere. That was why I’d lured Hughes here to begin with. But the advantage had now become a disadvantage, because Hughes could use all the landscaping to hide just as easily as we could.
And now he was gone.
With Shannon.
Hughes could be anywhere, and without that tracking device, he was a ghost. The three of us couldn’t take him down on our own. We needed the other dregs. Logan would be here tomorrow, and two days after that, the rest of the dregs would arrive. I couldn’t wait that long to find her.
I needed to regroup. Get my head on straight. And use all my abilities, all my training, to take this son-of-a-bitch down.
“Keep looking,” I urged, my desperation coming through in my words. I rose from the chair, determined to go look for Shannon myself, but my head spun as soon as I stood up.
Then the floor rose up to greet me in a rush.
And my world turned black…
“Hey, man! Wake up!” Someone slapped my cheek.
I groaned, blinking up at Luke and Ryan, who loomed over me. “What happened?”
“We just got back from searching the grounds and found you passed out on the floor.”
Shit. Shannon.
“Did you find her?”
Ryan cleared his throat. “No. Sorry man. They vanished without a trace. Hughes is sneaky.”
Hughes had vanished with Shannon. Into thin air. Had he left the estate with Shannon? Or was he close by, out there somewhere?
Watching.
Waiting.
Ready to bring me down.
“Hey, man, we’ll find her. We’ll get her back.” Ryan squeezed my shoulder.
&nb
sp; They helped me into a sitting position. I closed my eyes a moment while the dizziness in my head slowly dissipated.
Where was that bastard? Where had he taken Shannon? What was he doing with her right now?
Don’t think about that. You’ll make yourself sick with worry.
I already am sick with worry.
Forgive me, Shannon.
I pushed determinedly to my feet, shoving Luke and Ryan back when they tried to assist me. “I got it. I’m fine.”
I wobbled slightly, then straightened. Drawing in several deep breaths, I closed my eyes. I could still feel her presence with me, the faint smell of her intoxicating scent, the feel of her soft breath against my lips, her gentle touch against my skin. I could still hear her soft cries of pleasure as we made love.
I drew in a deep, ragged breath, slowly puffing it out.
I’m so sorry, Shannon. I failed you. Please, please forgive me. I underestimated him.
“Ryan’s right.” Luke’s voice startled me, and I turned to find him standing behind me. “We will get her back.”
I wanted to believe that. I had to believe that. But what condition would Shannon be in when I finally found her? What if that monster hurt her? What if he broke her apart, left her in pieces? I couldn’t stomach the thought of him putting his filthy hands on her, hurting her.
Don’t let your love for her be a weakness. Use it to give you strength. Use it to fight him.
How?
Luke and Ryan exchanged a glance, and I didn’t miss the worry in their eyes.
Luke cleared his throat. “I called the other dregs and filled them in. As soon as they get here, we can all go after Hughes. Tracker’s skills will be a tremendous help in finding Shannon.”
I let out a snarl. “I can’t wait that long. By then, she could be dead.”
“He’s not going to kill her,” Ryan pointed out quietly. “He wanted her too badly to kill her. He might force himself on her, but he won’t kill her.”
Bile rose up my throat. How was that any better? Rape? Taking her against her will?
“I’m going to kill him,” I growled out. “I’m going to strangle that bastard. I’m going to tear him apart, until there is nothing left of him.”
“Good.” Luke nodded. “I’ll gladly help. We will get him, Noah.” He patted my arm.
Ryan held my gaze. “He’s right. Hang in there, man. We’ll get him.”
I closed my eyes as misery and failure swept over me. I needed to get a grip. I couldn’t let my sense of defeat overwhelm me like this. I had to get my head on straight so I could find and save Shannon.
I strode clumsily back to my computer. Ryan and Luke trailed behind me, their concerned gazes never leaving me. Plopping into the computer chair, I pulled up Hughes’ last email. I clicked on “reply”. Breathing in and out several times, trying to get my emotions under control, trying to clear the remaining dizziness from my head, I contemplated how I should respond. I needed to keep him engaged, keep him interested somehow. Keep him from taking Shannon some place I would never find her.
Then, gradually, the words came to me. And I typed.
Okay, motherfucker. You got my attention. I know what you can do now. But you don’t know what I can do. And I can’t wait to show you. You want a battle? Come on, you freak. Let’s finish this.
I hit “send”. Praying it wasn’t too late. Praying Hughes hadn’t already taken Shannon out of here.
Ryan and Luke exchanged another one of their secret glances.
Hughes knew my weakness now. He knew I wanted Shannon.
The problem was, he wanted Shannon, too.
And he was the one who currently had her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Shannon
I was certainly getting more story than I’d bargained for. In fact, it was no longer just a story. It was very real. And I had now become a major player. I had become what I despised most in stories. The damsel in distress. I had been kidnapped by a living Frankenstein, a deranged monster.
If my father were still alive, this would not have happened. Hughes wouldn’t have dared touch me. Though Noah was the one who’d killed my father, and effectively cleared the way for Hughes, I couldn’t blame Noah for this. How could he have known Hughes would best him? I had to figure out a way to escape before Hughes did something horrible to me.
Hughes carted me through the maze, seeming to know his way around quite well. Had he been in here before?
“I know you were Recruit 308,” I announced, trying to distract him, disorient him, so that he might get lost, making it easier for Noah to find me.
His body tensed, but he didn’t respond.
“I know you are a member of Super Soldiers, LLC.”
He began moving faster, as if he could outrun my words.
“I know my father was also a partner, but I don’t know what his role was. Or yours. Can you tell me? If they did such horrible things to you, why would you become a partner in something so inhumane?”
He halted abruptly, then tossed me off his shoulder. Unable to stop my fall when I was wrapped up like a baby swaddled tightly in the blankets, I landed hard on my ass in the dirt, and let out a soft grunt of pain.
Hughes glared down at me, his gray eyes dark with menace. “I hated your father. He helped The General to hurt me. He encouraged all the experiments. I don’t know who killed him or how he died, but I’m glad he’s dead. I’m glad they’re both dead. They didn’t give me much choice but to join their company. If I refused, they would just slaughter me like they did the other recruits. But The General needed my hacking skills. He wanted to keep doing experiments on me. He said I was different than the others. Stronger. He said I was the perfect soldier. He said they would let me live, that they would make me a partner in their company, if I helped them out. I finally decided I couldn’t take it anymore. I tried to kill myself, driving full-on into a truck, knowing I wouldn’t survive. But those bastards wouldn’t let me die. They pieced me back together. They made me live even though I wanted to die. While I was stuck in that hospital bed, I planned ways to get my revenge, wanting to make them all suffer like they made me suffer.
“But then the dregs killed The General, and everything changed. There was a shift in power as the remaining shareholders fought for control. At first, they panicked and shut down the facility, hiding all evidence of what they’d been doing there. I figured it was the end of The Company, but I was wrong. That bitch Darcy convinced Aikens to conspire against the rest of us. Secretly, she and Aikens reopened the facility and continued with the program. We got wind of their deceit, but before we could confront them about it, they were both killed. Your father and Ellington decided to investigate. But then your father was killed, and I realized I didn’t have to seek my revenge against them, since they were all dying off on their own. So I decided to just sit back and watch, and see what happened next.”
His eyes slowly cleared, his gaze settling on me. “I’ve been admiring you from afar for a long time, Shannon. And now I’ve got you. Now you’re mine.” Something shifted in his eyes, something evil.
I shivered. I hadn’t expected him to reveal so much. Though the man was a monster, a hint of sympathy slithered through me at what he’d been forced to endure. It sounded like the partners—my father included—had tortured him horrendously. It was no wonder he hated them. It was no wonder he now sought revenge.
Hughes had just confirmed Noah’s prior statement that my father was not a good man. I didn’t want to believe it now any more than I’d wanted to believe it before. But I had to accept the fact that they were telling the truth. My father had been leading a double life. And I’d only known one side of him. I’d never witnessed my father as this monster Noah or Hughes had described. And I could only be grateful that I never would.
Just remember him the way you knew him.
Noah’s words came back to me then, giving me strength. I could do that. Just remember my father as I’d known him.
; Noah had suffered just as much as Hughes had. He hadn’t done anything to Hughes. Yet for some reason, Hughes saw Noah as the enemy, rather than an ally. Realistically, they should be friends through their shared experiences as soldiers for The Company, rather than enemies. But Hughes hated Noah. And he was obviously jealous of him. “What does any of that have to do with Noah? He never hurt you. He was tortured just like you. He was a prisoner just like you. You should be allies, not enemies.”
Hughes’ gaze darkened. “None of them were treated as badly as me. None of them were turned into Frankenstein like me!” He lifted his arm, the one they’d sewn back on after it had been blown off. “I can barely move this disgusting appendage! It’s like a dead weight pulling me down. It aches all the fucking time! How can you say Noah was treated just like me?” He raised his voice on those last three words, spittle flying past his lips. “He’s nothing like me. No one is! They turned me into a God-dammed monster! There is no one like me! No one!”
My heart raced. Fear sank in deep, choking off my breath. Hughes was too far gone to listen to reason. Nothing I said would change how he felt.
He exhaled roughly. “Noah was always just a little bit better than me. A little bit smarter. A little bit better looking. I used to watch him from afar across the facility. I used to have to listen to The General praising Noah’s abilities, and how there was no other soldier with his talents. But he was wrong. I’m better than The Hacker. And I’m going to prove it.” An evil smile darkened his face. “You are the ultimate prize. But before the end, one of us will die. Either him, or me. Because there will only be one winner in this game.”
He reached down, snatching me up and tossing me back over his shoulder. Then he marched forward, moving deeper into the maze.
After several strides, he halted, pulling something out of his pocket. “What the fuck is this?”
I cringed. Oh no. He’d found the tracking device Noah had slipped into his pocket. He let out a stream of oaths, then tossed the tiny packet onto the ground.
“You think you can find me, Noah?” he shouted into the maze. “Then come get me, dreg! Come get me!”
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