Enigma:What Lies Beneath (Enigma Series Book 1) (16 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Tears streamed down Abbie’s face as Hauke’s huge form slumped at her feet. She dropped to her knees behind him and pulled his head onto her lap. “Hauke? Baby? Talk to me.”

“
They will take you from me. Do not resist. I will find you. No matter how long…”

Hauke’s voice faded from her mind, wrenching a cry from her otherwise closed throat. Breathing became difficult, and the room shifted around her.

“Stay strong for him, Abbie. He needs you.”

Abbie glanced up at Naura, who now lay on her stomach, her hands and feet bound.

“Leave her alone,” Abbie pleaded with Anderson. “You have us. What do you need with her?”

“I’m only following orders, Doctor Sutherland. I was told to leave no witnesses. Besides, she’s one of them.” He nodded in Hauke’s direction. “Which means she carries the same bacteria he does.”

“Then take her out and dump her in the gulf. I’m begging you.”

Abbie shifted her legs and pulled Hauke’s head up higher against her chest, laying two trembling fingers along the pulse point on his neck. “He’s dying,” she choked out. “We have to get him to a hospital. Please. I’ll do anything they want, tell them anything they need to know, just please don’t let him die.”

A spark of compassion shone in Anderson’s eyes, however briefly. He blew out a breath before barking out orders.

Abbie watched as two of the soldiers carried Naura from the room while three others bent and gripped Hauke’s arms and legs.

“Let go of him, Doctor Sutherland,” Anderson demanded, stopping next to her. “You’re coming with me.”

Abbie only held on tighter. “Where are you taking him? Can’t I go with them?”

Anderson gripped her fingers, forcing her to release the tight hold she had on Hauke’s body. “My orders are to bring you in, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. Now get to your feet and walk, or I’ll drag you out, kicking and screaming.”

“Screw you,” she spat, rising none too gracefully from the floor. “If he dies, I will go to my grave hunting you and everyone you have ever cared for until none of you are left to draw breath.”

He had the audacity to laugh. “I have had more death threats than you’ve had dates, lady. I’ll tell you like I told them—get in line.”

“I don’t do lines, asshole,” Abbie sneered, suddenly sinking her teeth into the man’s forearm.

Anderson jerked back in shock, staring at the blood now welling up on his arm and raised his pissed-off gaze to hers. “You bit me,” he growled before drawing back his fist and connecting it with her chin.

Her world went black.

* * * *

President Reuben Howell peered through the glass of one of the nine-foot tanks of saltwater standing in the center of the room at Winchester Industries and gazed incredulously at the massive alien floating in its depths. “He survived three bullet wounds to the chest and stomach with no evidence of being shot? Amazing.”

Doug Jefferies stood next to an identical tank, seemingly fascinated by the nude female creature sleeping inside. “According to Anderson, he unloaded three rounds into him. They have the same makeup, these two?”

Rueben slowly approached, unable to hide his excitement. “It would seem so. Look at her, Doug. She’s perfection.”

A man entered the room, holding a clipboard and wearing a lab coat with a name tag that read,
PHILLIPS
, on the right breast pocket. He glanced up as he approached. “Good evening, Mr. President.” He nodded to Jefferies. “Sir.”

Rueben extended his hand. “Any news yet?”

Phillips accepted his palm with a grim look on his face. “Nothing that can be of use to us. The blood is unlike any we have ever encountered, making it difficult to create a vaccine. But the venom is even more odd.”

“Venom?” Jefferies asked, turning away from the female’s captivating form.

Phillips nodded, approaching the glass. “Notice the darker shade of skin on the wrists and ankles? They’re barbs that carry an obviously deadly venom.”

Reuben gaped at the man. “When you say venom, do you mean like snake venom?”

“Much more lethal than a snake’s. We learned of the barbs from Doctor Sutherland and the paralyzing effects of their strike.”

“She’s talking now?” Reuben couldn’t believe she would give up even the smallest of information on the one she called Hauke.

“Not the daughter, sir. The father informed us of it.”

“Where is Abbigail?” The question came from Jefferies.

Phillips waved an arm. “Right this way.”

* * * *

Abbie closed her eyes and mentally reached out to Hauke once again. She’d been trying to feel him for days without any luck. What had they done to him?

Begging the guards for information got her nothing but snide comments and cruel sneers. No one would divulge Hauke’s whereabouts or whether he lived or died.

Cursing and throwing things at them had proven to be a mistake. She tested her bonds, wincing at the sting of her chafed skin. Her head ached as did her bladder, and if she didn’t empty it soon, she would give them something else to clean up.

The door opened, pulling Abbie out of her mental deviation. She lifted her heavy eyelids and focused on the room’s new occupants.

“Hello, Doctor Sutherland. It’s good to see you awake.” Phillips hesitantly approached. “Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”

“Why don’t you untie me and find out.”

He pulled out a syringe along with a couple of empty vials from his coat pocket and laid them on the bedside table. “Perhaps a little later after your company has gone.”

Reaching into his other pocket, he retrieved a wrapped alcohol wipe, ripped it open, and swabbed the inside of her arm at the elbow. “You know the routine. I’m going to do a blood draw for further testing. If you fight me, it’s only going to hurt you more. I will drug you if need be.”

Abbie knew he spoke the truth; he had drugged her before when she’d refused him access to her vein. “I don’t know what you hope to find, but by all means, you piece of shit, take what you want.”

“Doctor Sutherland?” one of the men standing by the door inquired. “My name is Doug Jefferies, Secretary of Homeland Security, and this is President Rueben Howell.” He nodded toward the shorter man at his side.

“I should have known the president was somehow involved.” She glanced at Reuben. “Just so you know, I never voted for you.”

He smiled at her insult and moved closer to the bed. “Frankly, Doctor Sutherland, your opinion is of no concern to me. Your fetus, however, is.”

She nearly choked on the panic rising in her chest. “What do you want with my child?”

“It’s not what I want. It’s more what I need. The creatures down the hall don’t seem to possess the human blood required to create a vaccine that will stop this virus they have created. Your fetus, nonetheless, will.”

Bile rose in her throat. “You’re planning to kill my baby?”

“Kill the one to save the thousands,” he muttered, touching her hand. “It’s an alien, Abbigail.” He turned to go.

“Wait,” Abbie called to his retreating back. “Please don’t do this. There has to be another way.”

He slowed, but didn’t stop. “Would that there were, Doctor Sutherland. Would that there were.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Hauke felt Abbie’s terror in the far recesses of his mind, calling to him, pleading with him to help her.

He fought his way up from the dark, heavy fog that surrounded him, anchoring him to the deep.

“
Hauke…”

Her normally gentle and warm voice was laced with fear along with something else he couldn’t name. “
Abbie…”

“
I hear you,”
she softly cried in relief, her voice echoing through his mind with unshed tears. “
Thank God you’re alive.”

“
Are you all right, my mate? Have they harmed you? What of the child?”

“
I’m okay, and the baby is fine. Don’t worry about me. Where is Naura
?”

“
I…I do not know.”
Hauke summoned every ounce of strength he possessed and opened his heavy eyelids. It took him a moment to register that he hung weightless in water and another to realize he was trapped.

He slowly scanned the perimeter with eyes too blurry to make out anything but shapes.
“I am being held in water in a room with objects scattered about.”

“What do you mean in water? Like a bathtub?”

Reaching out with his left hand, he ran his fingertips down the inside of his prison. “
It appears to be some form of glass container.
”

Hauke turned his head to the right, and a growl rumbled in his chest when his gaze landed on a similar container that held another body. “
Naura is here with me.”

He knew it to be her by the long dark hair swirling around her head.

“
Is she okay?”

He blinked several times until Naura’s nude form came into focus. Fury traveled through him with lightning speed, seeking an outlet.

Retribution would be swift, he vowed, curling his hands into fists. He would take great pleasure in killing the humans that had done this to his sister.

“Naura?”
he mentally called, kicking out with his legs to slam his feet against the glass. “
Naura, can you hear me?”

The silence coming from her twisted his gut in dread. He pressed his back against the glass, brought his knees up, and kicked out with everything he had, but the container held strong.

Abbie’s quiet sobs penetrated his rage, leaving him weak with anguish. “
Stay strong, my mate. I will find a way to get to you.”

“I saw them shoot you, Hauke. Are you in pain?”
More panic built in her voice.

He gently probed around the skin where the bullets had entered his body, wincing at the tenderness surrounding the area. “
The wounds have been stitched closed and are nearly healed. They obviously gave me blood, which means they do not want me dead.”

“They are running tests on you, in hopes of finding a cure for the virus, but haven’t had any luck thus far. You and Naura have to get out of there. And quickly.”

“Open your eyes for me, Abbie, that I may see your surroundings.”

Hauke felt the moment she widened the mental bridge between them, allowing him to see through her eyes and gaze around the room they kept her in. “
You are not in a cell
?”

“
They strapped me to a bed to make the blood draws easier for them.”

His lips peeled back over his teeth
. “What need do they have of your blood?”
He could feel her hesitation. “
What need, Abbie?”

“They plan on taking the baby,”
came her agonizing response. “
They think his blood holds the answers for a cure.”

Hauke saw red. He now understood why the Bracadyte laws had been laid down all those years ago. Humans were cruel, heartless beings with very little moral fiber, and it sickened him.

“Please don’t think we are all cruel and heartless, Hauke. There is some good as well as bad in all of us.”

“I would not categorize you as such, my mate. Your spirit is good, your heart pure. You are an anomaly among the land walkers.”

He paused for several seconds.
“Know this, my love. I will not rest until you and our unborn child are safe, far from this place where no one will ever hurt you again.”

The door opened to Abbie’s room, and Hauke watched helplessly as a man entered wearing a white coat with the name, PHILLIPS, on the right breast pocket. “You have a visitor,” Phillips announced, slowly approaching her bed.

The quickening of Abbie’s heartbeat resonated through Hauke’s mind, leaving anxiety in its wake. He could only listen quietly as the man continued speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.

“He can’t stay long, so I suggest you make the most of it. Do not think to try anything; we have cameras on you at all times. You may come in now,” Phillips called, glancing toward the door.

Henry entered the room, wearing the same garment as Phillips. His eyes appeared sunken in, and dark circles lay beneath them. His face looked gaunt and haunted.

“Abbie?” He rushed forward, stopping next to the bed and taking hold of her hand. “Why is she restrained?”

“Because she fights us at every turn. She left a gash across Doctor Holbrook’s nose with her dinner tray.” Phillips took a step back. “I’ll leave you alone now, but do not think to release her, or you will be arrested and no longer allowed to see her. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly,” Henry acknowledged, staring down at Abbie with apologetic eyes.

He didn’t speak again until the door closed behind Phillips. “I’m so sorry, baby. I had no idea they were planning this. I swear. You have to believe me.”

Hauke felt Abbie’s emotions shift. “You betrayed me, Daddy. How could you?”

“It was for your own good, honey. They had orders to kill you. I couldn’t let them kill you.”

“They are going to kill me anyway,” she cried. “But not before they take my baby.”

Henry’s gaze left hers to settle on her stomach. “The fetus is not human, sweetheart. It most likely would have caused your death long before you could birth it. Don’t you see? Just give it to them, let it be used for the greater good, and then you can go from here. Leave this place far behind and start a new life.”

Abbie’s pain at Henry’s words nearly choked Hauke. The anger, hurt, and disbelief. “Get out, Henry. Get out and don’t come back. If I never see you again, it will be too soon.”

“People are dying, sweetheart; dying from a virus born from the very type of creature you carry inside you. Don’t you care what happens to them?”

“Of course I care, but I would rather die than give up the life of my child. They don’t even know if my baby is the answer to a cure. And even if he were, do you have any idea how many years of research it would take to know for sure? Find another way because I refuse to hand my baby over to any of you.”

He gripped her hand tighter. “You don’t mean that, Abbigail. We are only doing what is best for you.”

“You mean what is best for you!” she shouted, turning her face away from him. “I meant what I said; don’t ever come back.”

Hauke rested his forehead against the cool glass of his prison, absorbing Abbie’s pain over Henry’s treachery as it rushed through their connection. Her father, the one man she should have been able to trust in, to believe in…had betrayed her.