Then he strode forward again.
And as my hopes for escaping began to fade into fantasy, it occurred to me that instead of helping to diffuse Hughes’ hatred toward Noah, I may have only just intensified it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Noah
Hughes responded to my email twenty minutes later. Ryan and Luke had gone back to the main house and told me to let them know when I heard from Hughes. My mind had sharpened over those twenty minutes, the dizziness now gone. I was more than ready to play now. More than ready to save Shannon from this monster. I had no idea where he was at this point or what he’d done to her.
You caught me just in time, Noah. I was about to take Shannon out of here. But I’m glad you’re ready to finish this. I wanted more of a fight from you. More of a challenge. Stealing her was way too easy. I’ve decided to give you a chance to try to win her back. How tough are you, dreg? How far will you go to win the girl? Only one of us will come out of this alive. Will that be you? Or me? Who will be the ultimate super soldier? Who will earn the right to breed with beautiful Shannon and create more super soldiers?
That made me pause. He sounded just like The General now. Sick bastard.
I read the rest of the email.
I’m including a link to a highly secure webpage. I urge you to check it out. If you hack past their firewall and find their vulnerabilities, you will discover some very sensitive data. Information I know you’ve been wanting...
What did he want me to find? Hughes had copied a link to a pharmaceutical website. In fact, it was the same company that had been supplying The General with the drugs he’d injected into us over the years. The very same company that Mark Ellington oversaw as its CEO. Mark Ellington was the only other surviving shareholder besides Hughes.
Interesting. What did Hughes want me to find?
I popped a mint in my mouth.
I clicked on the link and got past their firewall in a matter of minutes, then searched through the server, trying to figure out what Hughes wanted me to find. He must have planted something here for me. But what?
And then I found it. A folder hidden in their server with the title, “Confidential”. I clicked on the folder, discovering it contained more files. I clicked on the first one, only to discover it was password protected. Was this what Hughes wanted? Me to crack through the passwords? To decrypt all these files? What was in these files?
And what did this have to do with finding Shannon? Was he just leading me on a wild goose chase while he snuck farther away with Shannon? I didn’t have time for this shit. I needed to find her.
Just then another email came in from Hughes.
By the way, dreg, I saw that you’ve been hacking through those Company files that I encrypted for The General. That folder you just found on Ellington’s server contains a bunch more stuff you’ll find useful to take him down. If I were you, I’d save it.
I hesitated. If I downloaded that “Confidential” file, would I be installing a virus? Or was there really information in there that might take Ellington down? Why would Hughes want me to do that? Did he want me to destroy the only other living partner in The Company? What did Hughes plan to do if Ellington went down?
I decided to take a chance and began downloading the folder. If we wanted to beat the shareholders, we needed all the information we could get on them. If there was information in that folder that could help us take them down, then we needed it.
Then another email came in from Hughes.
Glad you decided to do the smart thing, dreg. That information will put Ellington behind bars for life. If you survive this battle, I trust you will see it gets into the right hands. But now, it’s time to finish this. Come into the maze. We’re waiting for you.
Finally, he was ready to finish this war. I was so ready to take him down. I leapt up from the chair.
My computer pinged another email. Hughes wasn’t done yet.
I turned back to the screen and opened the email.
But you have a choice to make now, dreg. I told Ellington where you are. And he’s on his way with an army to take you out. So you’ll have to decide what is more important to you. Saving Shannon before I make her mine, or fleeing before they get here and kill you.
Fuck! Ellington was on his way with an army? Son-of-a-bitch! I needed to warn Ryan and Luke. We needed to get out of here while we still could. I snatched up my phone and called Luke.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“Ellington’s on his way here with an army to take us out right this very second. You and Ryan might want to get out of here.”
Silence. Then, “What about you?”
I rubbed a hand over my face. “I can’t just leave her at Hughes’ mercy.”
Luke let out an exasperated huff. “So you’re going to take on an army all by yourself? What kind of idiot did you turn into?”
I snorted. “A big one, apparently.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Luke suggested. “When the other dregs arrive, we can go after Shannon. Hughes isn’t going to kill her.”
I groaned. “Maybe not. But he plans to rape her.”
Luke sighed. “Look, I know you care for her, man, but no woman is worth dying over. Especially needlessly. We can come back with reinforcements when the other dregs get here. If you don’t leave, you’ll die. And you’ll be no good to her if you’re dead.”
He was right. If I stayed here, The Company would take me out. And there would be no one to save Shannon from Hughes.
“You’re right. Let’s pack up and head out.”
“Roger that. Meet us in the garage in five.”
I disconnected the call. Then I drew in another deep breath and contemplated my enemy. Hughes wanted me to enter the maze. Did he think he could overpower me there? Did he have some kind of trap set up for me? I’d been through every type of war situation that existed, and now that I knew Hughes’ abilities, I was better prepared to deal with him. I couldn’t match him in physical strength, so the only way to beat this monster was to outsmart him. He didn’t know I could pick up his body heat with my fingertips, and I would use that against him. And I needed to figure out how to hit him where he was most vulnerable.
The only problem was, I didn’t know where he was most vulnerable.
I thought about what I’d read in his file. He was a living Frankenstein, pieced back together and forced to live on even after he’d attempted to kill himself. The man was mentally unstable.
He’d been stalking Shannon for years. Was he obsessed with her or had she merely been a means to an end? A way to punish Collins? Except Collins was now dead, so what purpose would Hughes have to kidnap Shannon? Unless she was what he’d wanted from the start. Or was he just using Shannon to try to get to me now?
Hughes had sent me information he claimed would take Ellington down. Why? Was he after revenge against the other partners for that they’d done to him? That would make sense. But with Collins dead, why kidnap Shannon now?
What motivated Hughes? What was his end game? Why did I feel like I was missing a piece of the puzzle here?
Where was he right now? Was he truly in the maze? What had he done with Shannon? Was she okay?
I scrubbed a hand over my face. How would I take Hughes down?
My phone chimed, startling me. I snatched it off the desktop.
“Where the fuck are you?” Luke growled. “We’re at the garage. There are lights approaching down the road. Get out of there!”
Shit. I’d gotten distracted with my thoughts. But I believed I was on to something with this train of thought. I just needed to figure out the missing piece to the puzzle.
“Just go!” I told him. “I’m on my way.”
The file had finished downloading, so I reached over to power down my computer.
Another email came in from Hughes. I hesitated, then clicked on it.
Oops, you’re too late. The cavalry has arrived. Run, if you think you can. You won’t get far. Looks like I won
the girl. Shannon’s mine now. Bye bye, dreg. Bang!
He’d attached a gif of a gun firing. Bang!
Asshole. He wouldn’t get away with this. I was coming back for him.
I was coming back for my girl.
My heart pinched. My girl.
Shannon.
I stuffed my phone in my pocket and unplugged the computer. Then I grabbed my duffle bag that still lay where I’d set it when we’d arrived, and raced for the garage in the main house.
Bullets pinged past me as I reached the stone path leading to the main house. Ducking behind a large purple hydrangea bush, I clutched my computer close, then made a run for it.
More bullets whizzed past as I sprinted toward the garage. The garage doors were open, but Ryan and Luke were still there, sitting in their cars waiting for me.
A soldier never leaves one of his own behind. Even when the soldier does something stupid like I just had. My reluctance to leave Shannon may have put my dreg brothers’ lives in danger. If anything happened to them, it would be all on me.
I barreled forward, nearly dropping my computer, and raced toward my Jeep.
I set my computer in the passenger’s seat and tossed the duffle bag in the back, before climbing behind the wheel. I’d unhooked the trailer when we’d arrived earlier. I’d have to come back for it later. When I returned for Shannon.
I’ll be back for you, Shannon. I promise. Be strong. Be brave.
Moments later, we were screeching out of the garage and heading down the drive. Luke took the lead in his little black Porsche, with Ryan following in his Lamborghini, and me taking up the rear in my Jeep. We were immediately pursued by several large black SUVs.
Gunshots pinged all around, slamming into my Jeep. A tire blew. Then another. Goddammit!
A third tire hissed as a bullet slammed into it. The loud screech of rims scraping on pavement rent the air. I wouldn’t get far riding on the rims. I slammed on the brakes, slowly bringing the Jeep to a stop.
Ryan and Luke continued to race away, their taillights gradually disappearing into the darkness.
Vehicles careened to a halt all around me. Doors flung open and soldiers emerged, surrounding me, pointing guns in my face.
Shit. I was screwed. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for death.
I’m so sorry, Shannon. I failed you.
I waited, but no bullets slammed into me. They weren’t killing me?
I opened my eyes. At first, no one moved. They just waited with their guns pointed at me, fingers on the triggers. I slowly lifted my hands, deciding surrender was the best option right now. If I could convince them not to kill me, then maybe I could escape later.
And then come back for Shannon.
One of the soldiers stepped forward and yanked my door open. Then rough hands grabbed me and pulled me out of the Jeep. I didn’t fight as they tackled me down on the ground and yanked my arms behind my back. Handcuffs closed over my wrists. Then one of them whacked the butt of his rifle into the back of my head.
Pain careened in my skull as my face slammed into the pavement. Stars spun before my eyes. Hughes’ earlier beating had already pummeled my brain, and it took all of my willpower now to keep from passing out. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. I desperately clung to consciousness. I will not pass out, dammit.
I was a dreg. I was better than them.
A man strode toward me, the echoes of his footsteps bouncing around the dark drive. He approached from my blind side and I turned my head as his legs and feet filled my vision.
Dress shoes and gray slacks.
I lifted my gaze as the man paused before me.
Early to mid-fifties. Medium-brown hair with graying temples. Dressed professionally in a tailored business suit.
Ellington.
“Wait!” a female voice shouted. “Don’t kill him yet! He might know where my daughter is.”
I turned my head as a striking blonde woman in her late forties or early fifties approached with several soldiers at her heels. Oh shit.
I stared at an older version of Shannon.
Her mother was part of this too?
And there it was.
The missing piece of the puzzle.
Shannon’s mother. How did she fit into this? What was her role? She obviously wasn’t out of the state, and now I suspected she never had been. That had merely been a front to keep Shannon from discovering what her mother was really up to.
How deep was her mother’s involvement?
Ellington lifted a hand, motioning the soldiers back. Shannon’s mother paused in front of me. I met her gaze steadily, not surprised by the iciness of her gaze as it raked over me. Shannon’s eyes were the same color of blue, but her eyes were soft and intelligent, kind and inquisitive, while her mother’s eyes were cold and unfeeling.
“Where’s my daughter, Noah?”
I grunted. She knew my name, too? How many others were involved? Was Mrs. Collins another partner? One not on paper? A silent partner?
“Hughes took her.”
She flinched. Then her gaze darkened with fury. “That monster has my baby?”
“Yeah. That monster took your baby. He’s been stalking her for years. And now that your husband is dead, Hughes decided to make his move. But that’s not really why he took Shannon, is it?”
She recoiled slightly.
“What aren’t you telling me, Mrs. Collins? How are you involved with The Company?”
She avoided my gaze as she muttered, “Hughes is mentally unstable. He needs to be stopped.” She turned the force of her glare upon Ellington. I wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t answering my questions. But I still couldn’t figure out her involvement.
“Now dear,” Ellington murmured, reaching for her hand. “We’re doing all we can. We’ll take care of Hughes. He knows he wasn’t supposed to interfere. If I talk to him, I might be able to convince him to let her go.”
Dear? Was Shannon’s mother having an affair with Ellington? How long had that been going on? This was more convoluted than I’d imagined.
“You’re right that Hughes is mentally unstable,” I spoke up. “There’s no reasoning with him. I’m going to have to play his game, let him feel like he’s in charge. If you want Shannon back, you need to let me go.”
All eyes turned back to me.
“And why would we do that?” Shannon’s mother demanded. “You bought her at an online auction! You’re no better than Hughes!”
I slowly sat up, ignoring all the guns pointed in my face. I had no idea how Mrs. Collins had found out about the auction, but I would bet Hughes had supplied the information to her. “I only bought her to save her from a fate that would likely be far worse than death. I never harmed her. When you see her again, you can ask her yourself.”
We locked stares.
Seconds ticked past.
Ellington cleared his throat.
“We’re wasting time here, Mrs. Collins,” I pointed out. “If you want to get Shannon back from Hughes before he hurts her, then you’re going to have to hurry. And you’re going to need my help. Ellington won’t be able to convince him to release her. I know that for a fact. Hughes has been a prisoner of The Company since birth. You guys made him into a true monster. You never gave him free will. Now that he’s finally in charge, do you seriously think he’s just going to give up that power?”
I had just figured out how Hughes’ mind worked. I had found his weakness.
Control.
After being a prisoner his entire life, he now craved control. Power.
And he had that power with Shannon as his hostage. Hughes knew he could control me with Shannon. And he could control Mrs. Collins.
Another small silence fell while Ellington and Shannon’s mother exchanged a long glance.
Mrs. Collins huffed. “Why would we need your help when we have all these soldiers?” She waved around at “all these soldiers”.
I held her gaze. “Because they can’t do what I can. These guys
aren’t dregs, but I am. And I’m the only one who can get Shannon back.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Shannon
Noah left me.
Disbelief swept through me.
Then pain, heavy, pressing down on me, constricting around my heart.
Noah had left. The man I was falling in love with had left me. The only man I’d ever truly cared about had left me.
I’d just witnessed with my own two eyes Noah fleeing with Ryan and Luke.
Driving down the long drive. Being pursued by soldiers.
Leaving me behind.
Emotion clogged my throat. How could Noah leave me like this? How could he?
Logically, I knew he’d had no choice. He had to save himself. But I still felt like he’d abandoned me.
It was all Hughes’ fault. He’d called in the cavalry. He’d brought in an army, leaving Noah with no choice but to flee. Or die.
Now I was on my own with Hughes. The monster.
I couldn’t blame Noah for fleeing. He wouldn’t have been able to save me if he’d tried. There were too many soldiers. Too many guns. If he didn’t get away, surely they would kill him. I shoved my hurt aside. All I could do now was pray Noah escaped.
Run, Noah, run!
Hughes and I watched from one of the secret tunnels at the edge of the maze as a bullet blew out one of the tires on Noah’s Jeep. Then another other one. And a third. A loud screeching sound rent the air, and he finally brought the vehicle to a halt. Several black SUVs surrounded him, blocking him in. Soldiers emerged with guns drawn.
Hughes snickered beside me, his arm tightening around my waist where he held me. “There goes your chance at freedom. Bye, bye, Noah.”
Ignoring him and trying not to cringe away from his repulsive touch, I watched through the hedge as the soldiers dragged Noah from his Jeep. He kept his arms raised and didn’t fight as they shoved him down on the ground and handcuffed him. One of them slammed his gun into Noah’s head.
Bastard!
Don’t kill him. Please don’t kill him.
A well-dressed man approached and paused before Noah. I recognized him immediately.
Mark Ellington. One of my father’s friends, and the CEO of Ellington Pharmaceuticals, Mark was also one of the members of Super Soldiers, LLC. I’d seen his name on that document, his signature solidifying his membership.
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