by Paige Tyler
Unfortunately, Zarina didn’t have a chance to inject the same drug into Moore, since no one had a clue the guy was going to do something as stupid as volunteer for the protocol before anyone had even figured out if it worked on Jayson.
“As a consequence of the failure with Agent Moore, the team made the decision to go back and restart the project with raw hybrid material gathered by operatives in Tajikistan,” the man explained.
Trevor bit back a growl. That confirmed something he’d been worried about ever since the mission to Tajikistan back in March. The entire purpose of it had been to wipe out the last remnants of the hybrid research program, but two members of the raid—Moore and another dirty agent—had obviously taken samples from the facility before destroying the place.
“Starting from square one worked to our advantage, because we now have a successful formulation,” the man said.
“You’re telling me the serum finally works?” Thorn said. “You’ve created completely functional—and stable—hybrids that possess the same abilities as the naturally existing shifters?”
“That’s exactly what we’ve done,” the doctor said, pride evident in his smug voice. “In fact, it’s possible we’ve made a few improvements over the original, as I think this video clip from our research facility on the farm will demonstrate.”
Trevor glanced at Tanner and Evan to see them standing there with the same shocked expressions on their faces. He was damn stunned himself.
“He’s exaggerating, right?” Tanner asked. “There’s no way he could create hybrids that good.”
Trevor could understand Tanner’s reluctance to believe what he was hearing. Every hybrid variant created up to this point, in Washington State, Costa Rica, Tajikistan, or Maine, had all been stricken with some level of aggression, rage, or control issues. Unfortunately, that included Tanner and Sage. If Thorn’s people had overcome that, this was a complete game changer. It meant Thorn no longer had to pretend to be interested in keeping natural shifters around. He could wipe out every one of them on the planet if he wanted to.
On the computer screen, a video replaced the slide presentation. At first, all they could see was what appeared to be an obstacle course, but as the doctor continued to narrate, four large men dressed in military camo appeared on the screen. As the camera followed their progress through the course, it was obvious they weren’t normal humans—or normal shifters.
They snarled as they moved, exposing more razor-sharp teeth longer than any shifter possessed. They looked like frigging sharks. They ran fast, too, making jumps and leaps that few but the most agile shifter could pull off. And when they extended their perfectly matching long, curved claws so they could scale a vertical wooden wall thirty feet high, Trevor knew Thorn’s doctors hadn’t exaggerated.
They’d made hybrids that somehow combined the strength and power of a bear shifter like Declan with the agility and claws of a feline shifter like Ivy, all in a fully controlled package.
Trevor waited for one of the men to say where this testing was being done, but other than a couple more references to a “farm,” no one said anything useful.
“And the test subjects are all taken from among my most elite paramilitary units?” Thorn asked. “They’re loyal to me?”
“Yes, Mr. Thorn,” the doctor said quickly. “The minute we had the new formula worked out, we started our recruitment effort with volunteers who’d spent at least ten years working on your various black-ops teams. Additionally, our psychology assessment process placed the highest emphasis on those who demonstrated loyalty specifically to you. These men represent exactly what you’re looking for. They’re highly trained, fast, strong, dangerous, fearless, and completely loyal to one person and one person only—you.”
That seemed to please the hell out of Thorn. He continued to pepper the doctors with questions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the hybrids and when there’d be enough of them to proceed to phase two of the project. The doctor seemed to think these new super soldiers had no weaknesses and suggested that phase two could be ready as soon as Thorn gave the word.
“You have it,” Thorn said. “Accelerate the timeline, and proceed the moment you think the team is ready.”
“What the hell does phase two mean?” Evan whispered.
“No idea,” Trevor said. “But I’m guessing this is the move we’ve all been waiting for.”
After the meeting was over, Evan transferred a copy of the briefing onto a flash drive and handed it to Trevor.
“Get back to the complex, and start scouring the video for anything we might have missed—where the farm is, who these doctors are, who these new hybrids are, and what the hell phase two of Thorn’s plan is,” Trevor told him. “Everything and anything you can find.”
Evan nodded. “Will do.”
“What are you going to do?” Tanner asked after the analyst left.
“Get this information to Adam,” Trevor said.
Tanner nodded. “You want me to come with you?”
“No. We can’t risk someone seeing us together. Besides, I have something more important I need you to do.”
“What’s that?”
“Take another run at Dick’s office,” Trevor said. “Now that we know what we’re looking for, maybe you can find something that will tell us where the hell Thorn is cranking out these hybrids and what he plans on doing with them.”
Tanner groaned. “Why don’t I go talk to Adam while you sneak into Dick’s office? I’m a former Army Ranger. I’m no good at all this snooping and spy work.”
Trevor shook his head. “No way. To get into his office, I’d have to sneak past that guard dog secretary of his. She hates my guts. You, on the other hand, she seems to like. Which confuses the hell out of me. I always figured she didn’t like me because I’m a shifter, but that prejudice doesn’t seem to apply to you.”
“She probably doesn’t like you because you’re always such a smart-ass around her,” Tanner muttered. “Besides, it’s Saturday. Phyllis won’t even be there.”
“Phyllis is always there,” Trevor said. “The woman probably has a hideaway bed under her desk.”
Tanner frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve been snooping around Dick’s home and office for weeks with nothing to show for it. Hell, considering the fact that he wasn’t invited to this meeting, it’s possible he may not even know what Thorn is doing.”
Trevor found that hard to believe. Dick and Thorn had been working hand-in-hand since the inception of the DCO. The idea that he wouldn’t know about something this big seemed impossible. Then again, if there was one person on the planet better at manipulation than Dick, it was Thorn.
“Dick knows something,” Trevor insisted. “Root through his office looking for reference to a farm. If Evan can come up with the names of those doctors we listened to or a facial recognition ID on those hybrids, look for them, too. Based on what we just heard, Thorn’s plan is going down in less than a week. If we’re going to stop him, we need to have intel now.”
Tanner let out a breath. “I’ll try, but I’m not promising anything. I suck when it comes to searching through computer files.”
“Then figure out another way to get the information we need,” Trevor said. “Before it’s too late to do anything with it.”
Chapter 11
Jaxson had gotten Alina and Sage back on the complex without being noticed, then Zarina distracted the guards while Alina slipped the girl back into her room. After that, all three of them had moved heaven and earth to get in contact with Derek’s Special Forces team down at Fort Campbell. Luckily, the sergeant and his team had just come back from a field exercise, so he’d been able to talk to Sage on the phone.
Sitting on the edge of the bed while Sage lay on her side, her pillow tucked under her head, a wistful smile on her face, Alina had to admit the effect Derek had on her was n
othing short of amazing. Sage was as relaxed as if she’d taken a Xanax. Alina had never seen anything like it.
“How did you and Derek meet?” Alina asked softly.
“He saved my life in Tajikistan,” Sage said. “I didn’t know that’s where I was, of course. Actually, I was barely aware of anything. I only knew I was filled with terrible pain and rage every minute of the day. I’d been like that for so long, I wanted it all to be over with. When the building where I was kept prisoner caught on fire, I thought my prayers were going to be answered and that I would finally get some peace. Then Derek was there, risking his life to save mine, even though I didn’t want him to. I even tried to kill him, but he wouldn’t give up. He got me out and brought me here.”
Alina wanted to ask what had happened to her over there but didn’t think that’d be a good idea. Sage had been experimented on and turned into a monster. That wasn’t exactly something a person would want to talk about.
“How many times has he come to visit you since then?” she asked instead, figuring that was a safer subject.
“Twice.” Sage rolled halfway onto her back, her smile disappearing as she gazed up at Alina. “I know it’s hard for him, because he’s always working and rarely home, but he calls as much as he can. That’s almost as nice as him being here.”
Alina’s lips curved. “You like Derek a lot, don’t you?”
Sage nodded, a smile lighting up her face again. “He has the most amazing, gentle voice, and when he looks at me, I can almost believe he doesn’t see a monster. Sometimes, it seems like Derek is the only person who can save me. I ran off because I wanted to be with him.”
Alina was no expert on relationships, but investing so much of yourself in a man you’ve only met a couple of times didn’t seem healthy to her. Then again, Alina wasn’t a hybrid, so she had no idea what the girl was going through. Who the hell was she to judge?
“Do you know where Fort Campbell is?” she asked.
Sage shook her head with a laugh. “No, not really. I just knew I had to find him.”
She rolled onto her side again, and they both fell silent. A little while later, Sage fell asleep, a smile still curving her lips.
Alina couldn’t help but hate the people who had hurt the fragile, vulnerable girl. Knowing Thorn was behind the hybrids, and that Dick would exterminate Sage if it proved convenient, pissed her off so badly, she wanted to hunt both men down and shoot them the same way she’d wanted to hunt Wade down and shoot him after he’d murdered her teammates.
Sage reminded her a lot of Jodi. She had the same tough outer persona wrapped around a gentle inner soul, and Alina promised herself she’d never let anyone hurt her the way Jodi had been hurt. That would almost certainly mean going up against two of the most powerful and dangerous men she’d ever met and aligning herself completely with Trevor and his friends.
Unfortunately, Trevor still didn’t seem ready to trust her. She couldn’t blame him for keeping her at arm’s length. He was playing a game of intrigue and espionage at the very highest level, personally taking on Thorn and Dick in their own backyard. One screwup on his part and not only would he be dead, but so would a lot of other people.
As far as Trevor was concerned, Alina was an outsider. He’d been wary of her from the start, and her actions since then had only confirmed his worst fears. He’d thought she was a spy, and she’d behaved like one.
Even so, it’d still hurt like hell when he’d told her he’d rather do whatever he was off doing with Tanner instead of her. She’d known he was full of crap when he’d tried to convince her it was nothing. She’d seen the look on his face when he’d gotten that phone call. Something serious was going down, but he’d decided he’d rather face the threat with Tanner than his own partner.
Damn, that stung like a bitch.
Alina sighed. She didn’t know how, but she was going to figure out a way to make Trevor trust her. Not only because he was her partner, but because he was quickly becoming something more to her.
* * *
Trevor pulled into the parking lot of the motel in Falls Church, Virginia, two hours later, then sat in his SUV for another thirty minutes to make sure he hadn’t been followed. Getting out of the vehicle, he walked across the parking lot and knocked on the door of room 105. It swung open by itself. That was when he noticed the piece of tape over the lock.
Trevor pushed it open the rest of the way, then pulled the tape off and locked it behind him. Adam was sitting at the small, round table, waiting for him. Trevor walked over and set the thumb drive on the table without a word. Adam picked it up and slipped it into the pocket of his signature duster.
“What’s on it?” he asked.
“A video of Thorn’s new hybrids,” Trevor said. “They’re completely in control of themselves and demonstrating abilities that no shifter has ever possessed. Thorn already has a plan for how he intends to use them. I have no idea what it entails, but I know he’s moving on it soon.”
Trevor expected Adam to ask for more details, but instead, he simply nodded.
“There’s something I need you to do,” Adam said. “It might not seem important given what you just told me, but trust me when I say it is.”
Trevor got a distinctly uncomfortable sensation in his stomach. Adam had asked him to do very few things directly, other than staying in the DCO and keeping an eye on Thorn and Dick.
“What is it?” he asked hesitantly.
“I need you to track down some people who have popped up on the radar. My sources say they’re planning to hit the ammunition supply point on Aberdeen Proving Ground tonight.”
Trevor frowned. Adam had his own operatives he could send out to do basic reconnaissance work like this. Why ask him to do it?
“We finally get some clue about the fucked-up game Thorn is playing, and you want me to chase ghosts around a military base in Maryland when we’re this close to nailing the son of a bitch who murdered John?” Trevor demanded.
Adam didn’t blink. Then again, the man rarely showed any outward sign of emotion. That cold, detached persona convinced Trevor that Adam might very well share his DNA with a reptile.
“John is the reason I want you to do it,” Adam said.
Trevor bit back a growl. “That makes no damn sense whatsoever.”
“John never got so focused on Thorn that he forgot the threat posed by every other asshole out there,” Adam said. “If these people are stealing military-grade weapons, John would be the first one to say they have to be stopped, even if it means putting your vengeance against Thorn on hold.”
“If you’re so worried about someone stealing weapons from the army, why don’t you just drop an anonymous tip to the base military police? Let the MPs stop the damn heist.”
“Because it’s possible some senior army personnel on the base are involved,” Adam said without missing a beat. “If we alert the army, we’ll tip our hand that we’re onto them. We need to stop these people now.”
The other shifter stood, reminding Trevor how tall he was, which was one hell of a trick, considering Trevor was six four.
“If I have to, I’ll send some of my own people, but they’re nowhere near your level of training, and they know next to nothing about the army or military munitions.” Adam’s eyes glinted. “They’ll do the best they can, but chances are they’re going to get killed. I guess you’re okay with that, though, because you have better things to do, right?”
Trevor cursed. He didn’t miss the passive-aggressive heat in Adam’s voice or the fact that the other shifter was calling him out. In the end, Trevor would never let someone else walk into a dangerous situation in his place. And Adam knew it.
“Okay, I’ll check it out,” Trevor said. “You do realize I probably won’t be able to do more than a little recon, maybe identify these people if I’m lucky.”
Adam nodded. “Identifying th
em and figuring out what they’re up to will be more information than we currently have. Since you spoke in the singular, I assume that means you won’t be taking Alina with you?”
“I thought you didn’t trust her,” Trevor pointed out.
Adam’s face was as unreadable as ever. “I never said I didn’t trust her. I simply told you there was good reason to protect yourself until you knew if she had your back or not. I’m asking you to sneak onto a military base and do something that might involve you getting shot at by a lot of people. It would be good to have someone you trust backing you up.”
Trevor didn’t say anything.
Adam reached inside his coat and pulled out a large envelope. “Everything you need to get onto the base is in here.”
With that, Adam walked out of the hotel room, closing the door behind him. Trevor opened the envelope, dumping two military ID cards, travel orders putting him and Alina on temporary assignment to Aberdeen, and a collection of pictures and maps of the base’s ammunition supply point, or ASP.
He picked up the green ID card with Alina’s picture on it. It was a good photo, way better than you typically saw on military identification. Then again, Alina was very photogenic. Where the hell had Adam gotten this picture anyway? It definitely didn’t look like a driver’s license photo. More like something you’d see on a Facebook page.
Trevor stared at the photo, wondering what to do about his partner. Did he trust her enough to take her with him on a mission like this?
Chapter 12
“Crap, these guys are good,” Alina said, watching through a set of night-vision binoculars as two men got to work on the heavy-duty lock of an earth-covered bunker five hundred feet away from where she and Trevor hid behind a similar bunker. “They’ve broken through three high-security locks in less than five minutes.”