Safe (The Shielded Series Book 1) (15 page)

“Hush.” Mikale shook the girl. “You’ll ruin our surprise arrival.” He
looked at Ghared, then gestured to Dugan’s lifeless form. “Do something like
that again and you’ll get a hole in you.”

“You can try.” Ghared braced his legs, geared up for a fight. “You didn’t
actually think I’d lead you here and let you get Foster and Darina, did you?”
He let out a raspy laugh. “I just needed a ride back.”

He made a move to charge Mikale, but Trevis had crept up behind him and
landed a kick to the back of Ghared’s left leg. The snap that sounded made
Mikale cringe and Mareea scream around the gag as Ghared sunk to the ground.

“I said no screaming, sweetheart.” He shook Mareea and more tears poured
down her cheeks. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, her nose red. Crying was
never attractive. He bet Darina never cried.

Ghared attempted to get to his feet with grunts of pain, but Trevis
leaned down and punched him in the jaw. The sound of Ghared’s body thumping
face first into the soft dirt brought Mikale great pleasure.

Time to get more pleasure out of this trip.

“Bind him,” he told Trevis, “and give me something to secure this one.”
He jostled Mareea, who had gone limp at the sight of her unconscious uncle.

Once Ghared and Mareea were secured with magnetic cuffs, Mikale said,
“He’s going to be too much trouble to move around now.”

“Sorry.” Trevis gave him a regretful glance.

“Don’t be. You did the right thing. He needed to be controlled.”

Trevis beamed at Mikale’s praise, and though the large man wasn’t bright
most of the time, he knew how to fly a pulsejet, take orders, and bring a man
like Ghared Timms down to his knees. Plus, he was loyal as hell.

“Secure the cuffs to the pulsejet,” Mikale said. “We’ll leave him behind.
This girl should be enough leverage. The good officer will know if we have her,
we also have her uncle.”

Trevis did as he was told, and Ghared’s hands were clamped above his head
to the pulsejet. “What about Dugan?” He gestured to the body mingling with dirt
and blood.

“Leave him,” Mikale said. “Dust to dust.”

Nodding, Trevis took control of Mareea so Mikale could lead. As they walked
away, Ghared released a pained moan.

“Too bad I won’t get to see Darina fuck you up, Warres. Should be a great
show.” The man smiled then passed out again.

“Is it possible we’ve underestimated what we’re up against, boss?” Trevis
asked.

“No.” There would only be one kind of fucking going on between him and
Darina. The kind he’d been dreaming about. The kind he never got from the women
he bought.

Mikale led Trevis and Mareea toward a series of cottages. They stuck to
the tree line, using it as cover as they approached. His sharp eyes scanned
everything. His ears listened for any indication that their appearance had been
detected. His fingers were poised over the trigger of his weapon, ready to
blast anything in their way.

But the place was a ghost town. No voices sounded. No engines ran. The
huge water wheel they’d come upon was still and silent. The only noise was the
stream rippling as it passed over rocks and the rustle of leaves when the warm,
summer wind blew.

“You think Timms screwed us?” Trevis asked.

“Possibly. Always hard when you have to rely on your enemies for
information.” But being here
felt
right to Mikale. As if he could smell
Foster, sense Darina. They were close. He knew it.

All he had to do was find them.

****

Foster ripped open the door of his lab, making Rasha and Hydec whip
around. “Where is Darina?”

“Not sure,” Hydec said. “We’ve all been ordered to burrow into our holes.
Just Rasha and I are out and about, guarding your ass.”

“I’m out and about too.” Estoria peeked from behind Foster and waved to
her friends.

“Our orders are to keep you in the lab until we hear from Darina,” Rasha
said.

Foster shook his head. “No, I need to find her right now.” He stepped
beyond Rasha, but Hydec got in his path.

“I’m going to have to advise that we follow Darina’s orders,” the taller
man said. “She threatened us with bodily harm if we allowed you to leave.”

“And since when are you intimidated by a woman half your size, Hydec?”

“Since I saw the wild look in her eyes at the thought that something
could happen to you.” Hydec glanced at Rasha. “It’s the same look I’d get if I
was trying to keep her safe.”

Foster looked at Rasha then at Hydec, knowing exactly the look he was
talking about. He’d seen it pass between them before, but they were true
partners. He’d found them as a readymade set. They’d been together for years. Surely,
in only two days’ time, Darina wouldn’t have had that expression for him, would
she? The thought seemed crazy, but he wished it to be true with every cell in
his genetically engineered body.

But if Hydec wasn’t going to let him out, they weren’t getting out. “All
right. Fine. We’ll stay here, but when do you expect to hear from her?”

Rasha looked at Estoria and the two women grinned.

“What?” Foster turned to Estoria.

“Nothing. You just seem a little… eager to see Darina.” Estoria’s smile
deepened.

Foster pointed over her shoulder into the lab. “I’m eager because of what
we’ve found in there, Essie.” That was at least half true although his mind did
wander to the way Darina’s lips felt against his own. He shook his head to
clear the sensations. He had to keep his head on the goal.

Though maybe he now had additional goals.

“You mean you did it?” Hydec’s eyes widened.

“
We
did it,” Foster said, sliding an arm around Estoria’s
shoulders.

“I didn’t do anything except bleed for you.” Estoria indicated the tiny
pinprick on her forearm. “You’re the one who worked your magic.”

“Magic I should have figured out sooner than this.” Foster ran a hand
through his hair in frustration. “All the people who could have been cured…”

“Don’t do that,” Estoria said, resting her hand on his shoulder. “You’ve
been working on this cure around the clock. Most people never would have made
the connection you did between the disease and my genetic code.”

“Hopefully, Emerge Tech still has the capability of mass producing this
cure.”

“If not, we’ll find another way, Foster.” She gestured to the test tubes
on the worktable. “You’ve got the blueprint now. That was the hard part.”

“I’d still like to test it on a live victim of the plague, but I’ll need
to go back to the city for that.” Foster grabbed his tablet and tapped like
wild for a few moments then he shoved the tablet into his pocket. “Everything I
need is on here.”

“All that’s left to do is keep you and that tablet safe then,” Rasha
said, “which is what we’re going to do.” She entered the lab with Hydec and
closed the door. “We wait here until Darina signals us.” Motioning to Foster,
she said, “Lock us in.”

He went to the keypad by the door and entered the security code. The door
was a sturdy barricade, but he hated the idea that Darina was on the other side
of it. He wanted her in there with him. Zeke too. He’d seen the look on her
face when he talked of wanting a family. A look that said maybe she wanted to
expand hers.

Turning back to the test tube full of a potentially successful cure, he
hoped he could create a world where a life for him and Darina was possible.
Assuming she didn’t die out there protecting him.

They waited in the lab for what seemed like an eternity before Foster
said, “Couldn’t we take a peek out there and see what’s going on?” The not
knowing was killing him. He’d worried about his people on this property before,
but this was different. Darina meant something different to him. Something
more.

“I’ll go,” Hydec said. “Lock this door behind me. If I’m not back in ten
minutes, Rasha, you should—”

“You’ll be back,” Rasha interrupted, refusing to hear anything about him
not coming back.

Hydec gave her a quick nod and Foster let him out. “Be careful.”

“Always am.” Hydec readied his weapon and disappeared in the shadows of
the quiet main house.

Foster was tempted to step out of the lab, but Rasha tugged on his arm as
if reading his mind.

“It’s not worth it, Foster.” She pulled him back and closed the door
herself. “Set it.”

He entered the security code again, effectively sealing them in. He hated
the separate feeling being in the lab gave him today. Normally he didn’t mind
being sequestered from the world, but today there were people on the other side
of the door that he simply couldn’t lose. There was a cure to administer. There
were lives to save.

And a woman. A woman to possibly love.

Darina’s legs cramped in the crouched position she’d been in as she
watched Warres, Mareea, and one of Warres’s men skitter along the tree line
like field mice.

Rats.
At least two of the approaching people should be classified
as low-life rats. Seeing Warres in the flesh made Darina’s fight instinct flare
inside her.  

“We have to get Mareea,” Zeke said from beside her. He had his own
weapon, which he knew how to use thanks to Ghared. She’d disagreed with teaching
him at first, knowing firsthand what these weapons were capable of, but Ghared
had convinced her, and now she was happy the kid could defend himself.

Zeke got up from his crouch, but Darina grabbed him and yanked him down.
He fell on his butt and gave her one of those teenage looks.

“I agree that we have to get her, Zeke,” Darina said, “but we have to be
smart about it. Both of those guys are armed.”

“I know you’re right, but Mareea… I… she…” He scrubbed a hand down his
face and blew out a frustrated breath.

Darina squeezed his kneecap. “I know, buddy.” She knew because she felt
the same way about Warres getting his hands on Foster. And Ghared.

Where is Ghared?

If this asshole had Mareea, and he had found this location, Ghared had to
have been involved. If he hadn’t answered Darina’s call, he could be hurt.

Or worse.

That thought nearly had her sprinting from her cover just as Zeke had
attempted. Ghared had been there for her and Zeke for years. She loved him as
much as the two brothers she’d lost. She wouldn’t lose him too. If she had her
way, she wouldn’t lose anyone today. After Deo and Dixon and her parents had
died, she’d been so alone. They had been such a tight family. She’d been
fortunate to be raised with loads of love and nurturing. She hoped she was
giving Zeke a similar experience, even if the world around them sucked. She
also wished someday the world wouldn’t suck so much, and she could have what
her parents had between them.

In the surrounding cottages, the rest of the GECs were armed and hiding
as well, waiting for her signal to show themselves, force Warres to drop his
weapon, and rescue his hostage. She took comfort knowing Foster was locked away
in his lab and guarded by two competent people. Hopefully, he’d found the cure
by now and was just waiting for Warres to be contained.

Closer, closer.

She needed this prick to be close enough to surround. Then she could
overpower him with her team, free Mareea, find Ghared. She’d love to take
Warres down execution style, but if Foster needed him to get the cure, she
didn’t want to deny him that opportunity. Her fingers twitched on the trigger
of her weapon, while her prosthetic hand fisted in her lap. Ending Warres would
feel so good.

Long time coming.
 

Warres continued walking toward the cottages. He turned back to his
associate and yanked Mareea from the man.

Zeke bristled beside Darina, but she clamped a hand on his shoulder,
keeping him down. A low growl sounded from Zeke’s throat, and Darina knew she wasn’t
crouched next to a boy anymore. A young man—a young man in love—waited in the
shadows now. One who was prepared to do what it took to make sure Mareea was
not harmed.

“He’s using her as a shield,” Zeke whispered.

“Which means he doesn’t entirely believe this place is abandoned.” Darina
turned back to the two GECs in the cottage with them. “Yolase, tell Roben to reduce
their numbers.”

Yolase, who’d told Darina her genetic engineering included telepathy,
closed her eyes, her blonde brows lowering in concentration. When she opened
her eyes, which were a lovely shade of violet, she said, “Done.”

A moment later, Warres’s associate dropped to the ground, causing Warres
to whip around, holding Mareea close to his chest. His own weapon was jammed up
under Mareea’s chin, but he wouldn’t kill the girl. Not yet.

“Mom…”

“Stand down, Zeke. Rule number one in catching bad guys is study their
reactions.”

“What if his reaction is to kill Mareea?” Zeke’s voice cracked on her
name.

“He won’t. If he kills her now, he has nothing to bargain with, and he wants
to bargain.”

“For Foster.”

Darina nodded and swallowed loudly, her throat growing tight. “What
Warres doesn’t know is there will be no bargains today.”

Warres turned in a circle, dragging Mareea around. The girl let out a
muffled cry, while another growl sounded from Zeke.

“I’m looking for Officer Darina Lazitter,” Warres shouted.

What? Why isn’t he asking for Foster?

“I know this place isn’t empty, folks.” He pressed Mareea up against his
body. “I know you’ve got eyes on me. Weapons too.” He glanced at his fallen
man. “And you’ve taken out one of my best men. Trevis was beyond loyal. You owe
me something now.”

“We don’t owe that asshole anything,” Zeke mumbled.

“Although, I guess what I’ve done to your friend Mr. Timms might balance
the scales,” Warres said.

Darina was on her feet, but Zeke pulled her down. “We have to be smart,
Mom, remember?”

A few moments of silence stretched on as Warres rotated, covering himself
with Mareea’s body and squinting at the cottages.

“Interesting,” he yelled. “Mr. Timms made me believe you were a force to
be reckoned with, Officer Lazitter. I didn’t figure you’d cower.” He unzipped
Mareea’s ratty hooded sweatshirt and slid his hand inside. “It’s okay though, I
have something to play with to pass the time.”

Mareea let out a wail and Zeke bolted out of the cottage.

“Zeke!” Darina ran after him.

The sunlight was blinding at first, her eyes having not adjusted from the
darkness of the cottage. Nothing was wrong with her hearing though as that
weapon blast echoed in her head. When she blinked everything into focus, Zeke
was on the ground halfway between the cottage and Warres’s position.

“Zeke!” Darina’s stomach roiled with anguish… and anger. She dropped to
her knees at Zeke’s side and he looked up at her with panicked brown eyes.

“Get Mareea…”

He passed out, and Darina took in the blood gushing from the hole in his
chest. She looked back to the cottage she’d been hiding in. Yolase sprinted
out, pulling off the T-shirt she had on over her tank top and kneeling beside
Zeke.

Pressing the T-shirt to the wound, she said, “We’ve got this.”

A second later, Hydec appeared and hoisted Zeke up into his arms. He
didn’t say a word, but jogged back toward the main house with Yolase right
behind him.

Foster will help Zeke.
Yolase’s voice bounced around in Darina’s
head. She had to believe that or else she’d come unglued.

Turning to Warres, she said, “Let Mareea go.” She held up her hand in a
fist and the area became flooded with GECs prepared to do whatever she asked of
them.

“I’ll let her go,” Warres said, “but only in exchange for you.” He looked
around at the people surrounding him. “And if any one of them tries to fire on
me, I’ll kill her.”

“And if you kill her, they will let loose with their weapons, Warres.
There’ll be nothing left of you.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s the way it’ll go, officer.” He gave her a
smile—one that made her flesh crawl. “See, I know Dr. Ashby is working on a
cure for my handiwork. I know he’d love to have me alive to interrogate. If you
kill me, my virus will still be going strong out there.” He brandished his
weapon, indicating beyond the trees on the property. “There is no way I can
lose here.”

“If that’s what you believe.” She shrugged as if to say he was stupid,
which he was. “I agree to your exchange anyway. Let the girl go, and I’ll come
with you.” She holstered her weapon and put her hands out to her sides.

Warres gestured for her to walk toward him. As she did so, the rest of
the team took a step forward.

“The rest of you don’t move.” Warres threw an arm around Mareea’s throat,
his gun still pressed under her chin.

Darina made a motion with her hand for everyone to stay put. Once the
exchange was made, they would know what to do. They’d planned for this scenario
before hiding.

She continued walking. When she was a mere yard in front of him, he
released Mareea and pushed her to the ground. Mareea made quick eye contact
with Darina, then scrambled to her feet and ran in the direction of where Zeke
had been taken.

“Okay, so now what?” Darina asked. “You have me. Where is Ghared? What
did you do to him?” She had to keep him talking while a few members of the team
crept forward behind him.

“Mr. Timms most likely has a broken leg and is bound to my pulsejet at the
moment. I’m sure his arms ache by now as they’ve been above his head all this
time.”

Ghared is alive.
And the pulsejet was somewhere on the property,
so finding him should be easy.

“Well, let’s get to the pulsejet then. We are leaving, right?” She walked
closer as if to start them on their way, but Warres shook his head.

“We will leave. Eventually. First I need to stop the good doctor. He
seeks to undo my work, and I simply can’t have that.”

“Foster isn’t here.”

“Of course he is. Don’t lie to me, Officer Lazitter. It’s not
attractive.” He stepped closer to her. “You know what else isn’t attractive?”

In a move her mind barely registered, Warres grabbed her and jabbed a
syringe into her shoulder. Something burned under her flesh as he released
whatever was inside.

“My virus isn’t attractive. What it does to a body isn’t attractive.” Warres
turned around quickly and pointed to the handful of GECs that had left the
perimeter to pursue him. “I said none of you were to move.” He shook his head
as Darina slumped against him, her head swimming. “You didn’t listen, and now I
had to infect Officer Lazitter. Kill me and you’ll kill her too. Only I can
stop the virus from taking her. Just me.”

Darina blinked rapidly, but the red spots before her eyes didn’t
disappear. She was aware of Warres supporting her and hated that any part of
her was touching any part of him.

She’d gone down that road before…

“Now someone is going to tell me where to find Foster Ashby or things are
about to get really bad,” Warres said.

No one budged, and Darina felt a measure of pride in the team she’d
organized. They were level-headed and loyal and not going to take Warres’s
shit. The government made a stupid decision in casting off these genetically engineered
gems.

She was glad she and Ghared had made a deal years ago that if anything
happened to her, he’d take care of Zeke. If anything happened to Ghared, she’d
agreed to watch out for Mareea. Other than Zeke, she didn’t have any other
affairs to get in order.

She could die today.

Not that she wanted to. Living—even in this craptastic world—was
preferable to checking out for good. She had to believe Zeke would be all right
and she wanted to be part of his future.

She also wanted Foster to be a part of
her
future. If that was
possible.

Darina fought to stay conscious and tried her hardest to ignore the fiery
pain coursing through her body as the virus spread. The pain turned into an
unbearable itch beneath her skin. She scratched her flesh but couldn’t reach
deep enough. How long before her organs broke down? How long before her insides
looked like the image Foster had shown her on his tablet?

As she closed her eyes and wished she had the strength to beat the shit
out of Warres, a hum overhead made everyone look up.

“Ah, my reinforcements,” Warres said. “I’m not a lone wolf, Officer
Lazitter. I always bring at least part of my pack. Mr. Timms was kind enough to
lead us here, and I was smart enough to relay those directions to my
associates. If you don’t take me to Foster, they will land and kill everyone
here. If you don’t take me to Foster, I won’t give you the cure I already have
for my virus. The cure you now need desperately.”

“I’m right here, Mikale.”

Darina managed to look toward the main house. Her vision wavered as if
her eyeballs were swimming in their sockets. A dim outline of Foster standing
on the deck with Rasha and Hydec on either side of him came into focus. Blood
stained Foster’s shirt.

Zeke’s blood?

She prayed enough blood was still inside Zeke. He needed to live. He
deserved to live.

“Darina and I will both go with you,” Foster said. “Call off your men.”

“And why would you agree to go with me, Foster?”

“Because I don’t want any fighting here.”

Warres shook his head. “No. I think it’s something else.” His face came
into view as he looked down at Darina. If she had the energy, she’d rearrange
that face as she’d dreamed about doing for so long.

Too long.

Turning in a circle again, Warres surveyed Foster’s people. His eyes
widened at Kivin, a beautiful woman with skin the color of freshly polished
copper. His gaze shot to Oraslo, an eight-foot tall man who loomed above the
others. Nevianne stood beside Oraslo with her yellow, snake-like eyes.

“Oh, Foster…” He turned to face the main house. “You’ve been keeping
secrets.” He laughed. “I wondered why you’d be in Vermont. Men like us could go
anywhere in the world. We have the means and the connections.” He grinned, and
Darina wanted to send her foot into his teeth… or his groin. Either one would
work. Both would be best. “But you’re keeping a low profile here in the woods. You
and your GECs. My, won’t the government love receiving this tip?”

Hell no.
These people had put their safety on the line to defend
Foster. Their loyalty would not be rewarded with dismantlement.

Because she was too weakened from the virus eating up her insides, Darina
did the only thing she could think of to distract Warres.

She raised her arm.