by Lynn Hagen
“Let me see.” Nomad held out his hand, and Sawyer slid his laptop across the kitchen table.
Nomad took a deep breath before he looked at the website. The directory had thumbnail photos of their employees, and Nomad recognized every last one of them.
His stomach churned, and bile rose to the back of his throat. He pulled Stanton closer, needing the steady rock to anchor to. “That’s all of them.”
Sawyer gave a quick, short nod. “Now we can do our planning. Let me research their names and see if I can find their addresses. We’ll have to improvise with the guards since they aren’t listed. When we breach the building, we’ll subdue them until we’re done. Did any of the guards torture you?”
Nomad wanted to wipe everyone out in that place, but the guards hadn’t been cruel. They’d just done their jobs, no questions asked. Although their lack of action and morals was heinous, that wasn’t enough to deserve a death sentence.
“No, they were just there.” Guarding the prisoners and acting as if the lab was a real prison instead of what it truly was. The pits of Hell, where human beings—yes, Nomad considered himself a human being since he could shift into one—were being used as lab rats. When one of the panthers died, their bodies were removed.
To where, Nomad had no clue. The guards just hauled them away, never to be seen again. It gutted him that those who’d lost their lives hadn’t even had a proper burial. Their loved ones would never know what had happened to them. They would never have closure.
And because of that, Nomad changed his mind. “They go down, too.” He explained his change of heart.
“That’s just fucked up all the way around,” Dylan said. “You’re right. Tech-Chase needs to be shut down.”
“Their records, too,” Nomad said. “I want their research destroyed so no one else can get their hands on the data.”
They turned their attention to Sawyer, their teams’ computer geek. Sawyer stopped typing long enough to look at them. “What?”
“Can you do it?” Dylan asked. “Destroy all their data?”
“I’ll create a virus and upload it while we’re there. I’ll have the program triple erase before it wipes out anything that was left behind.”
“You have some scary good friends,” Stanton said. “I’m starting to feel better about this mission. If you can take out the scientists and doctors before you even get there, half your work is already done.”
Nomad was amazed Stanton wasn’t freaking out about the loss of lives. He seemed onboard, accepting the fact that Nomad and his team were going in to kill those who had tortured and murdered so many panther shifters.
“You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.” Nomad pulled Stanton down for a fiery kiss.
“You guys keep that up and I will go find a piece of ass to take my sexual frustrations out on,” Dylan said. “Break it up before I have to turn a hose on you two.”
“You’re just jealous,” Sawyer said.
“Damn right I am,” Dylan replied. “I need to find my mate so we can get busy making babies.”
Sawyer burst out laughing. Nomad chuckled as he pulled back from Stanton. “The poor sap will probably run screaming from you.”
Dylan shrugged. “The chase is half the excitement.”
Sawyer closed his laptop. “Okay. I have most of the employees’ addresses.”
“How?” Stanton asked.
“Deep digging,” Sawyer said. “Secrets don’t stay secrets from me for very long. I’m just that good.” He smirked.
“Then we head to California,” Nomad said.
Sawyer shook his head. “I’m not sure how California plays into all of this, but their headquarter is right here in Oklahoma.”
That wasn’t right. It couldn’t be. Nomad distinctly remembered fleeing California when he escaped. He told them as much.
Sawyer flipped his laptop over and removed the battery.
“What?” Nomad asked.
“Someone was trying to breach my firewall,” he said. “They were tracking my movements on their website and were trying their fucking best to get my IP address, but I had it bouncing all over the globe.”
Nomad had no idea what that meant. “So, do they know it was you nosing around?”
“No, but that was close,” Sawyer said. “Luckily I stored the names and addresses in my phone while I was doing my search.”
Nomad hadn’t even noticed Sawyer’s cell sitting on the table.
“We do our recon work,” Dylan said. “Then we strike.”
The thrill of Nomad’s work with his team returned. As much as he’d liked being home, a part of him had missed the missions—his heart pounding as they geared up and the dead silence in his head before the takedown.
But the stakes were higher this time. This op was vital to Nomad and Stanton’s future, and Nomad planned on walking away after The Company was destroyed.
Chapter Nine
Stanton wasn’t keen on going with them. He’d rather stay behind, but Nomad wouldn’t hear of it. It was three in the morning, and his mate had argued that he wasn’t leaving Stanton in a house by himself, no matter how secure it was.
Even if Nomad had made some valid points, Stanton didn’t want to go on this mission. He was already outside his comfort zone, and so much had happened already. Stanton just wanted time to himself to reboot, but he had been outvoted.
He thought the men would dress in battle gear—dress fatigues, combat boots, war paint on their faces—but they looked like the average Joe on the street.
Albeit very sexy average men. He loved Nomad, and his mate was the only guy for him, but Stanton wasn’t blind. Sawyer and Dylan were hot as fuck. So were Nomad’s brothers. It seemed Stanton was constantly surrounded by studs.
And he had the hottest one. In his opinion, anyway.
“So I just sit in the car and wait while you guys do your thing?” Stanton was all for staying out of harm’s way, but even being in the car was too close to the action for his liking.
From what he’d heard, there were four men that needed taken down. Two scientists and two doctors who worked alternating shifts. Stanton hoped the mission went off without a hitch, but the way things had been going lately, he doubted it would be that easy.
“That’s exactly what you do.” Nomad nodded. “You stay low and wait for us to return.”
That seemed simple enough. He doubted they would park right in front of the house they were invading, so Stanton should be relatively safe. He would find something to do while the men were inside, just so he didn’t have to think about what was going on.
Those men deserved what they got for torturing countless panther shifters, but that didn’t mean Stanton wanted to think about it. Even so, countless lives had been lost, and for what exactly? In Stanton’s opinion, no reason given would be good enough.
The drive took about an hour. Stanton was in the backseat of Nomad’s Jeep, bored out of his mind and not tired enough to go back to sleep. His mate had thrown Stanton’s cell phone away, so now he didn’t even have games to play or anything to watch.
What did people do on long car rides before cell phones were invented? What Stanton wouldn’t give for his phone or an electronic tablet.
Hell, he’d settle for a damn book right now, and he wasn’t really a reader. But anything was better than staring out the window while he watched the scenery flash by. Worse, it was still dark out—it was now four in the morning—so all he saw were occasional lights in someone’s house or a streetlamp.
Stanton would never complain about his phone messing up again. He’d take glitches over not having anything to occupy his hands and mind.
When Sawyer finally pulled over, Stanton sat up straight. He looked around at the quiet residential neighborhood as the rest of the men got out. Nomad leaned back in and gave him a quick kiss. “We’ll be right back. Keep the doors locked and stay low.”
Stanton was too nervous to speak, so he just nodded. He crouched down in the back
seat and stared at the houses. Of course, Sawyer, Dylan, and Nomad walked around the block and were out of sight. Just like he’d thought, they hadn’t parked in front of their intended target.
Ten minutes later they were back. They looked as if they’d just taken a stroll. No one was freaking out like Stanton was. On the inside, at least. On the outside, Stanton remained quiet, forcing thoughts of what they’d just done from his mind.
It was that way for the next two houses.
Stanton started thinking about the kitten videos he’d watched just to bring a ray of sunshine inside his head. He also thought about the gender of his unborn child and possible names. Would the baby have his green eyes or Nomad’s blue ones? Nomad’s dark hair or Stanton’s blond?
Nomad grabbed Stanton’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “One more and we can go grab something to eat before we hit the lab.”
How could Nomad think of food when he’d just killed three men? Why wasn’t he a nervous wreck, shaking, sweating, or rubbing his forehead? His mate was as cool as a cucumber as he sat there smiling at Stanton.
Then again, after everything Tech-Chase Laboratories had put him through, Stanton didn’t blame Nomad for his need for revenge. He just wished he wasn’t stuck in the car going on a ride with them. Stanton would’ve been happier staying at Sawyer’s house. He could’ve monitored his surroundings with that huge television, and Stanton was pretty sure the guy had multiple escape hatches if he’d spotted trouble.
Even so, Stanton would’ve worried the entire time. Even though he didn’t want to be here, at least he saw with his own eyes that Nomad was safe.
On their last stop, Sawyer parked on the side of a convenience store. The area looked middle class, instead of the upscale neighborhood they’d been in.
“Looks like one of the doctors is slumming it,” Dylan said as he peered out the windshield.
There weren’t any drug dealers hanging out, and the houses didn’t look run-down, but Dylan was right. This area was less impressive than the other three.
After the men got out and Nomad gave his “lock the doors and stay down” speech for the fourth time, Stanton looked at the store. They’d always returned in ten minutes or less. Nothing so far had happened to Stanton.
He was thirsty and needed to relieve himself. A quick run inside shouldn’t be a problem. He’d use their bathroom and grab a bottled water. Stanton would be out of there in minutes. Nomad wouldn’t even know he’d left the Jeep.
With his heart racing, Stanton got out and hurried around the corner of the building. The electronic door chime went off as he entered. Stanton spotted the sign for restrooms and made a dash for them. He had to hurry. He didn’t think they’d return in five minutes, but he had at least that long to get back to the Jeep.
Once he washed his hands and vacated the restroom, Stanton made a beeline for the coolers. He snatched a bottled water and ran for the counter.
“Running late?” The cashier smiled at him. “Sorry you have to get up at this godawful hour and go to work. The sun isn’t even up yet.”
“Yeah, it sucks.” Stanton paid for the water and rushed out the door. He rounded the building and smiled triumphantly that he’d done everything in less time than he thought it would take.
Stanton didn’t notice the guy approaching him until it was too late. The stranger threw a cloth over Stanton’s mouth, making Stanton drop his water as he was dragged away.
* * * *
They had cut it close. Dr. Rice hadn’t been home, and his alarm system had been state-of-the-art. Sawyer had thought he’d disarmed it but soon found that you had to enter the code twice.
They’d discovered that when the alarm starting blaring. At least they’d been able to sweep the house before they’d had to take off. The doctor must’ve been at the lab. They’d already planned on making that their last stop, but damn it, Nomad had wanted all the players out of the way.
He’d hoped it was Dr. Clarke Bailey at the lab so they could take everyone else out. That would’ve made their job easier. All Sawyer would have to do was wipe the hard drives of all its data and they would’ve been done.
“We’ll catch up to Dr. Rice,” Sawyer said. “He won’t get away with what he’s done.”
Nomad felt edgy as they walked back to the Jeep. In all honesty, he didn’t want to step foot back in that building, didn’t want to relive those memories, but he was the only one of the three who knew the layout.
From what he could recall, the building was fairly small. Offices occupied the front portion, and the labs and rooms where the panthers were kept occupied the back. The walls had to be soundproof because there had been a lot of screaming. Did the people who worked the front know what had been going on behind closed doors? Nomad had never seen anyone besides the scientists, doctors, and the guards.
“We’ll breach the back door,” Nomad said as they crossed the street toward the convenience store. “It’s still early, and I doubt any personnel will be in the offices up front. Even if they are, the soundproof walls will stop them from hearing anything.”
“In and out,” Sawyer said.
“I’ll take care of Dr. Rice,” Dylan said. “Breach as a team and leave as a team. No side jobs. We keep this clean and efficient.”
Nomad knew something was wrong as soon as they cut the corner of the store. He didn’t see Stanton in the backseat and prayed his mate was just lying down. But there was a bottled water lying on the ground next to the back door, and it hadn’t been there before. Nomad was too observant to have missed that.
He bent and picked the bottle up. It was still cold. When he looked into the backseat, he found it empty. Nomad’s heart lodged in his throat as he spun and stared at his friends. “He’s gone.”
“Maybe he had to use the bathroom,” Dylan said.
Nomad tossed the bottle at Dylan. “Then why’d he drop this?”
They went into the store and gave the clerk Stanton’s description. The guy’s nametag said his name was Brent. The guy had ginger hair, a ton of freckles across his face, and even though he looked in his mid-thirties, he wore braces.
“Yeah, he was in here. He used the bathroom and grabbed some water.”
“I saw cameras out there,” Nomad said. “Show me the time he was in here.”
“No way.” Brent shook his head. “Only my boss and law enforcement can see it.” He narrowed his eyes. “And you don’t look like either.”
Nomad reached across the counter and pulled the skinny-ass guy toward him. “Either show me or I put a hole in your head.”
He wouldn’t really shoot an innocent, but Nomad was desperate. He needed to see who had taken his mate. If his suspicions were correct, then Stanton was in a world of trouble. Dr. Rice would show Stanton no mercy, and Nomad felt sick to his stomach just thinking of anything happening to his pregnant mate.
“Okay, peace.” Brent held up his hands. “Pay me and I’ll show you whatever you want.”
Nomad was seconds away from slugging the idiot.
“Here.” Sawyer handed over two twenties as Nomad let the punk go.
“Follow me.” Brent took them to a small office in the back. He clicked a few buttons on the computer, and Nomad watched as Stanton hurried toward the Jeep, bottled water in hand.
Then he saw a hefty guy approaching. His back was to the camera, so Nomad couldn’t see who it was. The guy grabbed Stanton, and when he pulled Nomad’s mate away, Nomad saw the perp’s face.
Nomad felt dizzy. He gripped the wall and sucked in a few breaths.
“You know him?” Dylan asked.
Nomad nodded and then looked at Brent. “Outside.”
They left the store, and Nomad was glad for fresh air. He felt seconds away from passing out. Dr. Rice had Stanton. “That’s one of the guards who works for Tech-Chase.”
“Do they normally send guards out to kidnap people?” Sawyer asked.
“I don’t know,” Nomad admitted. “I have no idea how they got their victims. I wa
s never out of the building when I was being held there. But I recognize that guy.”
“Then we head to Tech-Chase,” Dylan said.
And Nomad would make sure that Dr. Rice wouldn’t live through the morning.
* * * *
Stanton had no idea what was going on. He sat in a desk chair, in a room filled with lab equipment, though Stanton wouldn’t have been able to name anything in there. Across the room were two men who were arguing. Stanton had seen their nametags. One was Dr. Rice, and the other was Dr. Bailey. Was that the same Dr. Bailey who’d helped Nomad escape?
“I don’t care what your reasons are,” Dr. Bailey said. “We don’t kidnap humans off the street. That was impulsive and could jeopardize our work.”
“Have you been listening to anything I said?” Dr. Rice asked. “The others have been killed. I saw Dr. River’s dead body with my own eyes when I went to pick him up. I saw Hayward O’Brien, along with two buddies, leaving his house. I followed them to my neighborhood, which means I was next. We use the human for leverage to get O’Brien back. Besides, how do we even know that guy is human? We’ll need to run tests to confirm that.”
Stanton looked toward the door. He could make a run for it while the two bickered. Thankfully whatever had been on that cloth that covered his mouth had worn off fairly quickly.
But he did have a pounding headache. And Stanton felt pretty nauseous. He wasn’t sure if it was from lack of food, his nerves, or morning sickness. He just prayed he didn’t spew his guts out. Stanton wanted them to keep ignoring him, and vomiting would draw their unwanted attention.
He slowly got up, watching the doctors, who had their backs turned to him, as he eased toward the door. He had no idea where this building was located, but he’d take his chances just as long as he could get away from these loons.
Stanton wanted Nomad. He wanted to feel his mate’s arms around him, reassuring him that he was safe. Now more than ever Stanton wished he was back in Kendall, but he would never regret meeting Nomad. As messed up as this situation was, Nomad meant everything to him, and Stanton wouldn’t trade that for the world.