Decoding Darkness
Page 17
“Do you think we will?”
His lips thinned, his nostrils flaring. “I hope so.”
“I think Hollan will come here first,” I blurted. “He’ll be able to work out that the place he picked me up is the closest to one set of the coordinates, and know this is the place we came from.”
“Hollan has no need for you now,” Devlin said. “He has everything he wants, so his focus will have moved away from you. He has no reason to target this base any more than the others.”
I nodded, trying to accept what he was saying. After all, Devlin was the expert. But, deep down, I felt the history between me and Hollan ran deeper than just needing a code for the memory stick. It had gotten personal now—me against him—and I was sure if he had the choice of where to attack, he’d want to put an end to me first.
I didn’t argue my case with Devlin, however. He hadn’t been there. He didn’t know how Hollan had looked at me—as though he hated me with every fiber of his soul. Yes, he might want to take the bases out to put an end to these undercover agents who were meddling in their corrupt and underhand ways, but he’d want to see me dead, too.
Nerves thrummed within me, and I turned and left Isaac and Lorcan to finish speaking with Devlin. I wanted to see my aunt.
I caught the elevator down to the next level, where the kitchen and dining hall were located. The doors opened, and I stepped out. A couple of boys were hanging around; they looked to be about ten years old. They grinned and nodded at me before hurrying away.
I found my aunt wiping down tables in the dining room. A couple of the younger boys were hanging around her, helping out, though I suspected it was more to be in her company than anything. Though they might not acknowledge it on an outward level, subconsciously they must miss having a female influence in their lives. I knew how it felt to grow up without a mother, and though my dad had been amazing, there had always been this hole inside of me that I felt sure a mother’s love would have filled. Maybe, when I’d gotten older, I should have made more of an effort to find her, but I was a stubborn one. I was of the mind that she was the one who’d chosen to leave, why should I be the one to chase after her? After all, she’d known where we lived all this time, but she’d never sent so much as a birthday or Christmas card. She could be dead, for all I knew.
Yet the woman standing with her back to me now, laughing with boys she barely knew, had taken me on. An angry, grieving, resentful teenager who had done nothing but cause her problems over the years. But she hadn’t turned her back on me. Even when she’d sneaked out of this place and gone to Hollan, she’d done it because she’d believed I was caught up in the wrong crowd. Yes, she’d made a mistake, but we’d all made mistakes.
One of the boys noticed me—a tall lad with skinny limbs and spiky blond hair—and nodded in my direction. My aunt glanced over her shoulder to see what he was gesturing at.
Her mouth dropped open. “Oh, my God, Darcy!”
I smiled. “Hi, Aunt Sarah.”
The cloth she’d been holding fell from her fingers, and she took a couple of steps toward me, her arms out, but then stopped, as though suddenly remembering what had happened, and realizing I might not be quite so pleased to see her.
I wasn’t going to punish her for what had happened, however. If Devlin could see fit to let her back into the base, even though she’d put them all in jeopardy, I wasn’t going to hold what she’d done against her either.
“It’s really good to see you,” I said.
She clamped a hand to her mouth and made a choked sound. “I thought you might not make it back alive. I was so worried. Blaming myself ...”
I stepped forward, and we fell into each other’s arms. I squeezed my aunt tight, feeling her angular frame shudder as I held her. A painful knot tightened at the base of my throat, and I struggled to swallow against it.
“I tried to call you from the place I was being held,” I told her. “I left you a message.”
“Hollan took my phone from me the moment he picked me up from the road. I’m so sorry, Darcy. I didn’t have it to be able answer.”
So I’d made that call while Hollan had my aunt’s phone in his possession the whole time. Dark laughter that I’d actually called the man who’d been hunting me tried to burst from my chest, but I managed to keep it down. “It’s okay, Aunt Sarah. Everyone is safe now.”
She shook her head, still not letting it go. “I should have believed you. I should have trusted your judgment.”
We pulled away so we could see into each other’s faces. She wiped at the tears on her cheeks as though she was angry with them, as though she didn’t deserve to cry.
“We both made mistakes,” I told her. “We can start again now, okay?”
She sniffed again and nodded. “I’d like that. I know I need to stop thinking of you as a little girl. You’re a woman now, and a fearless one, at that. I need to start giving you credit for everything you’ve been through.”
I gave a small laugh. “I’m far from fearless. I’m scared most of the time.”
She reached out and took my hand, squeezing my fingers tight. “But you don’t let your fears stop you from doing anything, and that, Darcy Sullivan, makes you brave.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Now that I’d made peace with my aunt, my heart pulled me toward the bottom level, where I’d find Clay. I still didn’t feel as though I’d thanked him properly for what he’d done for me. I also wanted to reassure myself that he was going to be all right, with no lasting damage from the hit Hollan had given him.
I told Sarah I’d catch up with her later, and left her to finish up the tables.
I headed back to the elevator, smiling at each young man I passed, recognizing most of them. These were the people I’d done everything for in the end. Yes, I might have been motivated by my love for the guys, but ultimately, these were the lives I wanted to save. They’d be the Isaacs, and Clays, and Lorcans of the future.
The elevator was free from anyone else as I caught it down to the medical bay. I felt self-conscious as I pushed through the doors that led through to the treatment beds. I spotted Clay right away. He was lying on one of the cots and had his eyes closed. A fresh white bandage was wrapped around his head, covering most of his hair. It was strange to see him without his blond locks falling around his face. He looked younger, somehow. More vulnerable.
I saw Alex standing with his back to me, looking over a folder of notes. He wore his white coat again, his stethoscope hung around his neck.
I cleared my throat, and Alex looked over his shoulder at me with a smile.
“Hey,” he said, “I thought I’d see you sooner rather than later.”
“I couldn’t stay away. I needed to know how he was doing.” I jerked my head toward Clay, though we both already knew who I meant.
Alex turned fully to face me. “It’s good news. There’s no fracture showing on the scans, so it was just a bad concussion. I’ve given him some pain meds for the headache. As long as he doesn’t keep hitting his head, he should be fine, though obviously we’ll keep a close eye on him over the next few days.”
I smiled. “That’s good to hear, Alex. Thanks for everything you did for him, and for Otto, too. I don’t know what we’d have done without you.”
He shrugged and glanced away, but a pink flush touched his cheeks. “Only doing my job.”
Movement in the corridor outside caught my attention, and I saw Kingsley, Isaac, and Lorcan walking toward us. I didn’t know what Kingsley had been doing—perhaps he’d gone back up to finish his debrief with Devlin while I’d been talking to Sarah—but they were all together now and must have had the same idea as I did to come and check on Clay.
“Hey,” Isaac said as he walked in. “We thought we’d find you here.” He looked to Alex. “How’s Clay?”
“Going to be just fine.” Alex grinned, flashing his straight white teeth. “Going to take more than a couple of cracks to the skull to keep Clay down.”
&nbs
p; Clay’s voice came from the bed. “You guys talking crap about me again?”
So happy to see him conscious, a burst of laughter escaped my lips. “Clay, you’re awake!” I bounded over to the bed. He’d already started to sit up, and I slipped my arms around him and pressed my face to his chest.
He laughed and rubbed my back. “I might have to get hit on the head more often if this is the welcome I get when I wake up.”
I squeezed him tighter, inhaling the scent of him, hearing his heartbeat, slow and steady. “I’ll wake you up like this every day,” I said. “You don’t have to get hit on the head to make it happen.”
There was so much I still didn’t know about the guys—who they were, what their backgrounds were, how much they remembered of their families. I felt as though I’d barely brushed the surface with them, but I wanted to know. I wanted to know every little detail. I meant what I’d said to Clay, but I could have said the same thing to any one of the guys. I wanted to wake up every day being able to hold each and every one of them like this.
He squeezed me in return. “That’s good to know, sugar.”
Not knowing how much Clay had been aware of, Isaac filled him in on what had happened.
Clay’s expression grew serious. “So, we’ve still got one hell of a fight ahead of us.”
Isaac nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m afraid so.”
The door opened behind us, and everyone turned to see who the new arrival was.
My heart sank as I realized it was Devlin. Was this the part where he told me that my aunt and I had outstayed our welcome? I’d done everything I could, and they had what they needed now. My job was done. We’d be sent back home, and I’d be lucky if I ever saw the guys again.
Devlin looked between us. “Ah, good. I’m glad I caught you all together.” His gaze flicked to Clay. “Good to see you looking better, too, Clay.”
Clay gave a barely perceptible nod. I assumed it hurt him to move his head too much. “Thank you, sir.”
We glanced at each other. Were the others thinking the same as I was?
Devlin cleared his throat. “The reason I wanted to catch you all together was because this affects each of you. I wanted to get your thoughts on it. This won’t work if one person is unhappy with the situation. I’ve never brought someone in from the outside to become part of an already established team before. You’ve all grown up together, so you learn how each other works on an almost instinctive level. You’re bonded from childhood. However, what I’ve seen over the last week has surprised me, and it’s made me consider how we do things.”
I still wasn’t completely sure where he was going with this, but my stomach flipped in anticipation. A part of me didn’t want to hear what he had to say, while the other part just wanted him to get on with it.
Devlin turned to me. “You have a skill, Darcy, and it isn’t one that can be taught. I can’t deny that what you’re able to do has a place with us. I can also see how you’ve bonded with the other team members.”
I frowned at him. Though my mind was already putting together what he meant, I didn’t want to believe it was true until he’d put it fully out there. “What are you saying?”
The older man squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. “That we have a big battle ahead of us, and we could use someone like you. Admittedly, you have some sharp edges that need rounding off, but I think we can make this work.”
The weight of my fear of rejection that I’d been carrying around lifted from me like a heavy fog from a headland on a sunny day. “You’re asking me to stay?”
“Not only stay, but become an official member of Isaac’s team.” He turned to Isaac and bobbed his head at him. “Assuming everyone else in the team is agreed, of course.”
I held my breath. Isaac and I hadn’t always gotten on, and I was aware I’d become closer to the others than to him in the time we’d spent together. I hoped that would change, though, and I was sure it would, if he only gave me the chance.
A rare smile spread across Isaac’s face, lighting his green eyes. He looked like a different man when he smiled—kinder, softer, gentler—and while the hard Isaac was sexy as hell, I liked the look of this version, too.
“We’d all be more than happy to have Darcy on the team,” he said. “To be honest, she’s felt like one of us almost from day one.”
My face cracked into a grin, and I looked between each of the guys, wondering if any of them would disagree.
“Maybe you should take a vote,” Devlin suggested.
Isaac shrugged. “Sure.” He lifted his hand into the air. “It’s already a yes from me.”
Alex raised his hand. “Absolutely. I’d love to have Darcy on board.”
“I’m going to say yes,” Kingsley said, lifting his hand slowly, and nodding and grinning at me at the same time.
I almost burst with pride.
“Hell, yeah,” Clay managed to croak from the bed.
Lorcan nodded, and then jabbed his hand into the air. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
I had to resist rushing to each of them and kissing them in turn, though I figured that wouldn’t look overly professional to the man watching over us.
“It’s agreed, then,” Devlin said.
Isaac looked to me, that same smile spread across his handsome face. “Welcome to the team, love.”
THE END
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About the Author
Marissa Farrar has always been in love with being in love. But since she's been married for numerous years and has three young daughters, she's conducted her love affairs with multiple gorgeous men of the fictional persuasion.
The author of thirty novels, she has been a full time author for the last six years. She predominantly writes paranormal romance and urban fantasy, but has branched into contemporary fiction as well.
If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website at www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com. You can also find her at her facebook page, www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author or follow her on twitter @marissafarrar.
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Also by the Author
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Marissa Farrar, Decoding Darkness