Redemption (5 page)

She’d missed them all—even growly bitch Peyton.

“The paperwork must’ve gone through after you checked,” she countered.

“We checked every week for over a year,” Peyton growled.

“We searched every building in a hundred square miles for you,” Ren said.

Okay, so someone had noticed she was gone. They’d searched for a year? Mira shifted to alleviate the pain shooting up her spine. Doc took a step forward, but Adrik dragged him away.

“I don’t know why there wasn’t paperwork, but I left here and headed to The Alliance camp on my usual route. Halfway there I ran into a caravan of NAH buses and guards. I tried to run, they detained me.”

“You were in Hell’s Highway. They have no authority there,” Marek challenged.

“I know, but my KBAR didn’t do much good against a legion of NAH soldiers who weren’t exactly in favor of obeying the treaty. I was taken south into Hell’s Playground, some facility outside of Baton Rouge. They questioned me for days before declaring me an enemy of the NAH and sentencing me to two years within Facility Six.”

“There is no facility six, Mira.” Adrik’s voice softened. “Why did you come here?”

Trust no one.

The voice from her deliriums swept across her thoughts. Had he been a hallucination? No. Impossible. He’d kept her sane and alive. He’d given her purpose, made her talk through the darkest hours.

He had to be real.

“Check my wrist. “ She held her hand. “They issued volunteer credits before I was sent away.”

“Volunteer credits. I thought you were a prisoner.” Peyton sneered. “Somehow I don’t see the NAH giving their
prisoners
credits.”

She deserved ten times what they’d given her for the hell she endured. “Look, they brainwashed us daily. Wiped our memories of what they did and ended each evening telling us how rich we’d be because we’d volunteered to help humanity understand anomalies. Whatever credits they gave us were to make their bullshit lies resonate truth.”

“Wait. If you were in a facility, you wouldn’t remember your time there,” Giles stated.

“We…I figured out a way around the pills they gave us. It helped me keep most of the memories.”

“We? Why?” Marek asked.

Mira sighed her exhaustion. She’d sworn to tell no one about him except for Kadal, whoever the hell he was. Although she’d gotten to know Adrik and members of his pack, she knew few of The Others.

She shuddered.
Paraspecies.
She’d been around NAH officers too long. Only the NAH called them The Others—as though they were garbage not deserving a real name.

“No response?” Peyton asked.

Mira glared at the gorgeous wolf. Long, russet hair tumbled around her shoulders. Taller than Mira, the woman was muscular, yet curvy. Long legs, big breasts and major attitude. All the wolves probably wanted her.

Did Adrik?

Her heart thundered to life as she regarded the man she’d thought about every single day the past couple of years. He was sexier than she remembered. A few inches taller than six foot with massive shoulders, muscular arms, lean hips and powerful thighs. Unruly waves of chestnut hair framed his square jaw and accentuated his golden gaze. She’d spent countless hours regaling her friend with her adventures with Adrik and his pack.

Thoughts of the man she’d abandoned—left to rot alone—soured her stomach. The first time she’d met him had been an accident. Doctor Covali and his minions had spent hours experimenting on her.

The whirl of the grinder cast terror in her trembling limbs. Knife-like sensations stabbed her spine as she twisted and turned, desperate to escape the excruciating agony. She had to get away.

“You’ll learn soon enough, stubborn Mira, we always get what we want. Now tell me all you know about Redemption Station.” The doctor’s monosyllabic voice boomed above the whirling threat nearing her leg. “Prep the area for round one.”

“Yes, Doctor, and what pain administration protocol will be used today?”

“None.”

“None, Doctor?” The guard, turned lackey nurse when necessary, asked.

“She must break. She knows more than any other prisoner we’ve received. They’re relying on us to get answers, Daryl.”

“Hank and I’ll make sure she talks if this doesn’t work. We have our own way of making girls squeal.” The man grabbed her lower calf with one hand and her KBAR with the other. “Think we should use this on her. Teach her what happens when pretty girls mess with things they shouldn’t.”

Screams ripped from her before she could resist. Agony drowned her in hopelessness. No one would ever find her.

Adrik, please help me. Find me. Eron, please. Save me.

She’d cast the telepathic plea outward, knowing it was pointless. Her brother didn’t have those abilities and none of Adrik’s pack was there to hear her.

Female. Calm yourself.

Warmth drifted through her mind, spreading within her veins like a brushfire. Each ember flicked the pain away and wrapped her in warmth. She blinked away the hazy fog overcoming her eyes and stared up at the doctor.

He smirked. “I’m looking forward to this.”

She screamed when he brought the grinder toward her leg.

Calm yourself. Close your eyes.

But he’s going to hurt me.

I can’t stop the action, but I will take away the pain. Close your eyes.

W-who are you?

Silence met her inquiry for a moment.
My name doesn’t matter. I’m here, on the same level you are. We’ll keep each other company, help each other through the dark moments.

Okay.

Close your eyes, female.

Mira. My name is Mira.

Very well, Mira. Close your eyes and focus on my voice. I will tell you a story.

“Mira.” Adrik shook her. Phantom pain from the past ripped through her leg and slashed upward into her spine. She gasped, contorting on the table as she made a grab toward him. He pulled away and glared over his shoulder. “What happened?”

“Not sure.” Doc’s hands hovered over her. Warmth like she’d experienced that day washed through her skin. “Flashbacks, perhaps.”

“What?” Peyton asked.

“It’s possible she relived something from her past—an unpleasant moment, obviously,” Doc explained.

“Or she’s faking,” Marek said.

No one would fake nightmares terrifying enough to make you pray for death.

“Possible. I’d need to do a full examination, run some tests.”

“No! No tests.” Mira bolted to sitting. “I refuse treatment. I’m fine. All I want is a few minutes to speak with Adrik. Then I’ll leave. I swear.”

“You’re in no condition to go anywhere,” Adrik said. “Why are you here?”

“I need your help to infiltrate Facility Six.” She forced her throat to swallow, wishing she had water. How much did they charge?

She’d been lax years ago, unobservant of how Adrik’s pack ran Redemption station. They’d treated her more like pack than an Impure. Then again, maybe not. She’d never been privy to the political aspects of their lives back then—who was in charge, what went down. Day to day life proved grueling enough without adding their business into the mix. Paraspecies valued their privacy, and she respected the decision. She hadn’t realized how close she’d gotten back then. Until now. Regret kept her silent a moment. She looked over at the container of water a few feet away and swallowed.

“Mira.”

“The NAH let me go. I didn’t want to leave the other prisoners there, but I had to. I couldn’t let them know I remembered. The others needed me to leave and get help.”

“Why could you remember?” Giles asked. “Their memory treatments are irreversible from what I’ve seen.”

Could she say? Probably not. The man who’d helped her had been adamant she share nothing about what he’d done to help her.

Focus on the other Impures. Don’t mention the man. “I promised them I’d return.”

“Them?” Adrik asked.

“Impures. There were so many. I couldn’t get them out alone. We need to rescue them.”

“She’s making no sense,” Peyton said. “Patch her up and I’ll escort her out of Redemption. There’s an NAH bus leaving for Little Rock in two hours. I’ll make sure she’s on it.”

“No. No NAH. I can’t return to Hell’s Highway until I’ve rescued them. I promised.”

“Who the hell are you talking about, Mira? I’m sick of this game, whatever it is you’re playing.” Adrik leaned into her personal space. “What the fuck happened to you?”

Weariness made her wither under his scrutiny. “I shouldn’t have come here. I thought you’d believe me, help get them out. I trusted you.”

“Funny, because there was a time we trusted you, but then you disappeared and hell broke loose. The Rum River slaughter happened a month after you disappeared, Mira. I should turn you over to Command Central and let them question you, because everything we learned about that day pointed right to you. Did you sell us out?”

“No. Never.” Why wouldn’t he listen? “I told you. They took me. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who was slaughtered?”

“King Bredon and his entire legion died, except for Kadal—who barely survived. It took him over two months to heal, which is almost unheard of for his kind.”

“His kind?” Kadal. The name her friend had mentioned. “W-what is he?”

“A gryphon.” Adrik watched her a moment. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“N-nothing.” Everything. Had her friend been there? He’d arrived a couple of months after her. After weeks of talking to him, she’d grown annoyed with him not having a name. So she’d called him Deimos. “I wasn’t there. I didn’t have anything to do with it. The NAH took me, grabbed me from Hell’s Highway when I was returning to The Alliance encampment.”

“Well, I’d work on your story a bit before you return there. The Alliance has a price on your head.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” Adrik’s breath trailed across her cheek. “The NAH attacked The Alliance encampment the day after you disappeared. A lot of your brother’s soldiers were killed. Last I heard he’s okay, though. All signs pointed to intel you provided. Your com device was found with numerous calls to NAH headquarters.”

“That’s not possible.” She’d never used the costly device. What few credits she received went directly to provisions and munitions for the cause. “I wouldn’t even know how to contact them.”

Adrik removed the wrist scanner. “I think we’ll commandeer these credits to cover the destruction you created.”

She reached for him. “Those credits are mine. I earned them.”

“How, Mira? What exactly did you do to earn these credits?” He scanned them and whistled. “You must be real good to earn this much.”

“I earned them.” Fear and determination kept her focused. “Give my scanner back.”

“Not until you tell me what you did to earn them.”

“I survived,” she whispered.

Adrik cursed, his gaze sweeping across her. “How did you get here?”

“I walked.”

“From where?” Peyton asked.

“They dropped me in the middle of nowhere. I passed out a few times, but I think it was five, maybe six days ago.”

“You expect us to believe you walked, alone, in Hell’s Highway for six days and survived?” Giles asked.

“Yes.” She’d been terrified. “I hid during the night and walked during the day, when I knew the succubae would be asleep.”

“Interesting.” Marek walked over to the water and poured a glass. She licked her lips and tracked his motions as he drank the full glass. She eyed the scanner, then the pitcher.

“The credits are yours if you help me return to the facility and get the other Impures out. Until the mission is complete, you provide me food and water.” She watched Adrik. She had no idea how many credits she’d earned.

“What are these people to you? The ones you claim are still being held?”

“I promised I’d get them out.”

Adrik held out the device. “With the credits you have here, you could buy their freedom.”

“I doubt that.” Doctor Covali wouldn’t let any of them go, especially Deimos. He’d endured more experiments and testing than she had. She didn’t think the other prisoners had, but she’d never spent much time above ground.

Even though Mira never figured out who Deimos was, she knew he was an Other. Paraspecies, she corrected. For some reason she didn’t fully grasp, he hadn’t trusted anyone to know he was there, alive.

“Do you have any way to prove these mythical detainees exist?”

She shook her head. “Names were power. Sharing meant suffering.”

She shuddered as fractured shards of the past flickered within her mind. She’d been close to screaming everything she knew. If it hadn’t been for Deimos she would have. Somehow he’d held her together, as she had him.

And she’d left him there.

Alone.

“I have no way to prove it, but there’s an NAH facility in Hell’s Playground. Someone has to do something to help those people.”

“If it exists, it’d be a strike against the NAH if we shut it down,” Ren stated.

“That’s a big if. She reeks of lies,” Peyton accused.

“I’m not lying,” she ground through clenched teeth. “Believe what you want, but send someone there. They need to be rescued before it’s too late.”

Adrik’s gaze reflected regret. Pain. Hell, she didn’t know. She wanted to tell him everything she remembered, but he didn’t need to hear what she’d undergone. He probably wouldn’t care because he didn’t believe her.

Seven hundred and thirty two days of imagining this day and she’d never expected this reaction. He’d come around, though. He was a good man, an excellent Alpha. They’d believe her once things calmed down, but she didn’t have much time. She needed to get to Deimos. The Impures. She’d made it to Redemption, to Adrik. He’d fix things. He always did.

Adrik stared at the door separating him from the woman he’d torn Hell’s Highway apart for, the one person capable of rending his soul. The life he’d once envisioned ended when she’d disappeared.

Now she’d returned and he was lost.

After a long heated discussion between his sentinels, Jarvis and the flyers from Command Central—via an antiquated ham radio—a decision had been made. He still wasn’t sure it was the best course of action, but he didn’t have much of a choice at this point. Jarvis and Trent had agreed sending a small group to investigate the potential facility was worth the risk.