Sweat broke out along his forehead, and a buzzing filled his ears. Time seemed to stretch out as the tech went through the same routine with Moss.
Finally, the squeak of metal wheels began again, and the tech left, shutting the door behind him.
Moss bolted to the toilet, retching. The sound made Jake’s stomach heave, but Jake made it only as far as the trash can.
After the worst had passed, Jake sat back on his heels and looked at Moss. He was sweating and shaking so hard, Jake could see it with only the minimal light from under the door brightening their room.
They shared a look of suffering but didn’t say a word. No one could know they were awake and coherent, or they might figure out that they’d plugged the nozzles that piped gas into the room.
Jake quietly knotted the trash bag to contain the stench of bile, then rinsed his mouth before stumbling to Moss’s side.
“Cover me,” he whispered as quietly as he could.
Moss shook his head furiously, mouthing the word no.
Jake couldn’t argue with him. He had to find Jordyn and convince her to help them get out of this place.
He put his hand on Moss’s shoulder, hoping it would reassure him. Jake couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. They had to find a means of escape, and Jordyn was their best hope.
He slipped out of the room on bare feet. Wearing only a T-shirt and boxers, he felt naked. He was used to having plenty of protective gear strapped to his body when he went on a mission, but he’d fight naked if that was what it took to get the fuck out of here.
Jake followed the hall, keeping careful watch behind him for the lab tech with the cart. Cameras silently watched his progress, but he prayed that no one was monitoring them at this hour. Eventually, there would be hell to pay for what he was doing, but there was no help for it. If the cost of freedom was another trip to the white room, so be it. He’d find a way to survive.
His stomach rebelled at the thought, but he swallowed down his fear and kept moving.
On silent feet, he made his way toward what he suspected was the section that housed the personal quarters for the staff. He’d spent days trying to map out the place in his head, but there were simply too many areas he’d never been allowed to wander. The one thing he could tell was that rather than a block of space carved out of the earth, they’d dug tunnels that branched off in several directions.
If he’d been designing the facility, he would have put all the eggheads’ barracks together so that they could talk shop and be safely away from the soldiers. He also would have put them near the labs and away from that torture room so their rest wasn’t interrupted by inconvenient screams.
After a couple of wrong turns, he came to a hallway lined with doors. Nameplates had been slid into aluminum holders, identifying who was inside.
It was neat, functional, and efficient—just like so many of the scientists he’d met here. He bet they never thought that one of the lab rats would be able to slip out at night and go exploring when they were supposed to be fast asleep.
The next nameplate read J. STYNGER. Jackpot.
He turned the handle, hoping to get lucky and find the door unlocked. It wasn’t. Of course.
Jake knocked softly. He wasn’t sure she’d hear it over the pounding of his heart, but he didn’t dare make any more noise.
A bubble of tinted plastic hung from the ceiling at the end of the hall. There was a camera inside, and he was sure he could feel it watching his every move.
Behind the door, he heard a shuffling sound, then the click of a lock sliding free. The door opened a couple of inches.
Jake didn’t wait to give her the chance to slam it shut and raise the alarm. He pushed the door open, taking control of her body as he moved forward. She was too shocked to fight him.
He pinned Jordyn’s wrists behind her back with one hand and covered her mouth with the other. He kicked the door shut behind him and said in a low voice, “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Her pale green eyes were wide with fear, telling him she didn’t believe him.
Jake couldn’t let himself care about that right now, so he steeled himself and used his body to walk her backward until they were in her bathroom.
He let go of her wrists long enough to turn on the faucet. “Is there a camera in here?” he asked her.
Her mouth moved against his palm as she shook her head.
“Are you going to scream?”
Again, she shook her head.
Jake moved his hand, but kept it close in case she was lying. He’d pinned her hips against the sink with his, preventing her from slipping away.
“I’m sorry,” she told him. “I know she’s your friend, but I couldn’t let Mother do that to you. I had to tell her what she wanted to hear.”
“You shouldn’t have caved. I’m tough enough to take a little pain.”
Jordyn paled until her already-pale skin went nearly transparent. He could see her veins below the surface, pounding in time with her frantic heartbeat. “You don’t know her. You don’t know what she would have done. I do.”
Jake wasn’t going to argue with her about the past. He didn’t have time. They needed a plan. “I have to get out of here. Find Rox and warn her.”
“I already did.”
“What?”
“I used your code and sent her a message. I’m sure she’ll think it’s you.”
“How do you know about the code?”
“The letter you wrote her—the one I mailed with the journal. You wrote it in that code. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”
Considering he’d been ten when he and Rox had created it, that wasn’t hard to believe. “What did you tell her?”
“To burn everything. That people were coming for her.”
Jake prayed that was enough to do the job, but knowing Rox, it would only make her more curious. Still, Jordyn had tried, and that was worth something. “Thank you.”
Her pale eyes slid to the floor, and she shifted uncomfortably at his gratitude. “I wish I could have done more. She’s still in danger. Mother won’t stop until she gets what she wants, and if your friend burned the journal as I directed her to, Mother may never believe it’s really gone.”
“We need to get out of here. Now. Tonight. We’ll get help and shut this place down, freeing everyone.”
“I can’t. I don’t like what Mother does, but she has no choice. The end is coming, and we have to be ready.”
Jake was stunned silent for a moment. “The end? What are you talking about?”
“The end of the world. The big war.” Her statement was casual, as if everyone knew about it.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She frowned at him as if he were the one not making sense. “They didn’t tell you, did they?”
“Who didn’t tell me what?”
“The government tries to hide it, but they know the end is coming. That’s why we’re down here, working so hard every day. If we don’t have an army ready, the rest of the world will kill us all. We have to be ready to fight. We can’t let all those people be killed.”
Things were starting to make a bit more sense now. Jordyn didn’t seem the kind of person to ignore the suffering and violation of rights going on around her—unless she thought she had no choice.
“Is that what your mother told you?”
“Yes. Her ways are cruel sometimes, but she’s doing what must be done.”
“She’s lying to you. She’s doing these things because she’s a heartless bitch.”
Jordyn flinched as if he’d hit her.
Jake lowered his voice, searching for patience. If he could convince Jordyn that she was being fed a load of bullshit, she’d help him escape. He knew she would. “Listen. I’m sure the things she’s told you are scary as hell, but they’re lies. Have your friends ever talked about the end of the world like it’s a foregone conclusion?”
“My friends are all down here, working with me and trying t
o save humanity.”
Great. This entire facility was filled with nut-jobs. “What about when you were a kid? Did your teachers ever talk about it?”
“Mother was my teacher.”
Of course she was. Nothing like brainwashing a kid from the crib to get her to believe you.
“Then let’s get out there and look for the truth. I’ll take you to talk to people who can answer your questions.”
“You make it sound as though I’m a kid who’s confused. I’m not. I’ve talked to people online—people who know the truth.”
Jake barely stifled the urge to roll his eyes. “Of course you can find some idiot online who thinks the end of the world is coming. You can also find idiots online who think the Earth is hollow. That doesn’t make it true.”
The light in her eyes winked out as if she’d drawn the shutters closed. He felt her pulling away at his insults when what he’d wanted to do was get her to help him.
“You should go,” she said. “If they find you here, you won’t like what happens.”
“They’re going to find out. There are too many cameras around for them not to. I’m surprised the cavalry hasn’t already come to save you.”
“Then you should leave.”
“I’ve already committed the crime. I came here hoping you’d help me and my friends escape.”
“I can’t. I’m sorry. I’ve already done everything I can to help your friend. That’s all I can offer.”
“We need to get out of here.”
“I can’t go anywhere.”
“You can’t stay here. Your mother is a fucking monster.”
“My place is here. Please try to understand that. I do what I can to . . . mitigate the things Mother does. I have to stay.”
He couldn’t listen to any more. He grabbed her arms, struggling to keep his grip light enough not to hurt her. He wanted to shake her and knock some sense into her, but he worried that if he made the wrong move, she’d stop listening to him. “Why did you help me mail my journal? You had to know that the authorities would find it and shut this place down. You’ll be held as accountable as the rest of them.”
“No one will ever find us. We move around. We hide. We’ve been doing it for years, and no one’s ever found us. If I don’t stay, who will stop her from doing the truly horrible things?”
“You don’t think what she’s done so far is horrible?”
Jordyn’s gaze slid to the floor. “I’ve seen worse.”
This whole mess had grown far beyond what he’d thought was at stake. Sure, Rox was in trouble, and he and his buddies were in even worse trouble, but it was more than that. If he didn’t stop Dr. Stynger, more men would be fooled into coming here. More men would be drugged and tortured—or worse, if Jordyn was to be believed.
Jake couldn’t let that happen.
“Just ask yourself this,” he said. “What if you’re wrong? What if you have a better chance of stopping her from the outside?”
He saw a flicker of indecision cross her face. “I don’t. There are too many other locations where they could go, and I know how to find only a few of them.”
“Are you sure she’s not exaggerating? She holds people against their will. She tortured me, and if I’m not mistaken, you as well. How big a leap is it to think she’d lie, too?”
Jordyn turned her back on him. “You need to go. Now. Or I’m going to raise the alarm.”
“Please, just consider what I said. That’s all I ask. Just think about it.” All he had to do was plant the seeds of doubt in her mind. She was smart. She’d figure the rest out herself.
At least he hoped she would.
“Go!” she commanded .
Jake backed away, feeling defeated. “I’m leaving. In fact I’m leaving this whole place. With or without your help.”
Jordyn heard the door to her quarters shut.
Her legs sagged beneath her, going weak. She sank down to the toilet and cradled her head in her hands.
What if he was right? What if Mother was lying? It certainly wouldn’t have been the worst thing she’d done.
Then again, what if she wasn’t? And what if Jordyn’s only chance to help was to stay where she was?
She didn’t know what to believe. The one thing she did know was that if she lost what little control she had, countless innocent lives would be destroyed.
There were no simple answers. But she did know for sure that if Jake was caught roaming the halls, his punishment would be severe.
There wasn’t much she could do to help him, but she had to try something. She logged in to the security system and began deleting stored images from the camera feeds as fast as she could.
Chapter Fifteen
Roxanne woke suddenly. Fear spurted through her system before she had time to register what had caused her to wake. For a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was. It was dark and cold.
A noise—that was what had woken her.
“Easy,” came Tanner’s low, reassuring voice. “It’s just me. I’m sorry I woke you.”
“It’s okay. I’m a light sleeper.” The alarm clock said she’d been asleep for only an hour, but now that adrenaline had flooded her body, she wasn’t sure she could go back to sleep. Besides, the dreams she’d been having weren’t much fun. She kept reliving the episode at the clinic, but this time the nurse was dead, too, and Jake had been in one of the exam rooms, bleeding out onto the floor. Roxanne hadn’t been able to save him. He’d died while she watched, begging her to help.
Suffice it to say, she was not enjoying her subconscious’s effort to work through her worry, guilt, and fear.
She fumbled to find her bottled water and gulped some down. Her throat ached as she swallowed, and it probably didn’t look any better than it felt.
Tanner flipped on the bathroom light, and it cast a yellow glow over the right side of his body. He was shirtless, and his jeans had been unbuttoned, displaying ridges of muscle that angled beneath his low waistband.
She blinked her eyes, letting them adjust to the light. A slow, warm heaviness began to build in her abdomen, driving away some of the lingering effects of her startle.
If she kept staring, she was going to start thinking about their kiss, and if she did that, she was going to embarrass herself by trying to get another. As needy and desperate as she was beginning to feel, she certainly didn’t want to look like she was needy and desperate. It wasn’t at all becoming.
Roxanne threw the covers back so she could get up. Cold air hit her bare legs. “It’s freezing in here.”
His gaze slid up her legs, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Sorry. The air conditioner has only two settings—arctic and off.”
“Doesn’t matter. We should get moving, anyway.”
“There’s no rush. No one is at the Edge yet, and you haven’t had enough sleep.”
“Did you sleep?”
His response was a shrug.
“What does that mean? You did sleep or you didn’t?”
“I dozed.”
“Why don’t you doze some more while I call Payton. He’s an early riser. And if he’s not up yet, I really don’t mind waking him.”
“Or I could call Reid. It wouldn’t be the first time I woke him up at crazy o’clock.”
“We’ll call both of them. We need all the help we can get.”
“And then we’ll go find breakfast.”
She smiled at that. Tanner was always hungry. “It’s a wonder you’re not fat.”
“Fast metabolism.”
“I can only wish.”
“It’s really not as great as you might think. We were cut off from our supply lines once, out scouting in a small group. We got pinned down for three days with no food, unable to even move enough to hunt for lizards or anything, and I can tell you that the guy with the fast metabolism is the first one to starve.”
The thought of him suffering like that gave her pause. She had never once been in a position where there was no food—no
t even when she’d been held hostage. Hunger wasn’t something she ever had to face. She tried to imagine what it must have been like—how desperate he must have felt.
She reached up and touched the side of his face. “I’m so sorry.”
He swallowed and stared down at her mouth. “It’s no big deal. But I am really happy to be back in the land of the Big Mac.”
“And we’re happy to have you home.”
She was standing too close. His eyes had dark blue rays jutting out from his pupils, which were swallowed up by black as he continued to stare. The short stubble under her fingers tickled her skin.
She wasn’t supposed to touch him. They were keeping their distance now. Staying professional. She didn’t fondle the faces of the men she worked with.
With a strenuous force of will, Roxanne stepped back and let her hand fall. She fled and hid in the bathroom, praying her heart would slow and her body would stop trembling.
Tanner O’Connell was a potent package, and she kept being pulled in by him. Knowing what he’d suffered was only going to make it that much harder to keep her hands to herself. Nobility was a prize worth more than gems or precious metals. It couldn’t be bought, but it was within her reach, beckoning her to grab hold and never let go.
She shoved aside the ridiculous notion and dialed Payton. He answered on the second ring, his voice clear and alert.
“Good morning, Razor. You’re up early.”
“Or late, depending on how you look at it. Is Bella back yet?”
“Not for another three days. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”
“I was wondering if you had any manpower you could spare,” she said.
“Where are you? Is this about that journal?”
“It is. We’re in New Mexico. We’ve run into some trouble. I need help.”
“Of course. You’re willing to pay our usual rates, I’m sure.”
Payton cared more about profit than any man she knew. Of course, it was because of him that the Edge had the money to cover Bella’s expenses. “You know that’s not a problem. But I need people I can trust. Tanner wants to call in Reid. I think our best bet is to find a couple of men who can pass as good ol’ boys in a small town.”
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