Redemption (Bennett Sisters Book 5) (18 page)

“Not as beautiful as you.” Rick walked up behind her and placed his arms around her waist. He put his chin on her shoulder. “Tell me you don’t really want me to leave.”

Lydia
sighed and glanced down at the hands clasped around her. If she was going to be honest with herself, she didn’t want him to leave, but he had to. “I don’t want you to leave, but that’s the only way I can ensure you stay safe.”

Rick kissed her cheek. “I’ll take my chances. Besides, the decision was taken out of your hands.”

Lydia
turned in Rick’s arms. “Says who?”

Rick let his hands fall and walked over to one of the lounge chairs. He motioned her over. “Come sit with me.”

Lydia
did as he asked. She had questions of her own.

“Now tell me who told you not to leave.”

Rick placed his arms around
Lydia
’s waist and pulled her back to lean against his chest. His voice was calm as he whispered his response. “The general.”

“I don’t understand. The general has to realize the danger you’re in,”
Lydia
muttered.

“Well, for starters, he might have come to that conclusion because I’m a potential threat.”

Lydia
turned to face Rick. “How does he figure that?”

Rick shrugged. “Might have something to do with the fact that psycho-Floyd shot me up with an unknown substance when he was holding me.”

Lydia
grabbed Rick’s arm. “Oh god no!” Her heart fell to her stomach. It was her fault that Rick had been taken in the first place. “Does he know what it was yet?”

Rick leaned over and pressed his lips to hers before he answered. “Not yet. They took some of my blood after my debriefing. They’re running tests on it now.”

Lydia
leaned against Rick’s chest and whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

Rick stroked his fingers through her hair. “I’m just glad it wasn’t you that they got a hold of.” He kissed her hair. “At least now we know what Floyd wants and also that there is a mole in the compound.”

She turned back toward the lowering sun and leaned into his chest. “He told you there’s a mole? Did he say who it was?”

Rick tightened his hold around her waist. “Nope, but the general is looking into it. Hopefully he’ll have some answers about everything by the time we get back.”

Lydia
closed her eyes. She could stay like this forever. This was the most relaxed she’d been since finding her family. “When do we have to go back?”

Rick rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “From what Briggs told me, you almost died trying to save me. I think you need to rest, and when you feel up to it, we’ll go back…together.”

Rick had listened in fascination when
Lydia
tried her best to explain about Momma Mae. The entire Bennett clan had sat in silence as each of them digested the new information on the apparition. To make things worse, he’d had to clue in the entire family about Floyd. Getting the Bennetts to let her return to the base had been almost impossible, but they’d finally relented. Rick and Briggs now sported new watches just like the rest of the Bennetts. The tracking systems gave them a little peace of mind.

Briggs had accompanied Rick and
Lydia
back to the base. The giant’s newfound fondness and protectiveness over
Lydia
would have normally brought out the green monster of jealousy, but not now. No, Rick welcomed the extra help in keeping her away from Floyd. Hell, Briggs had already proven himself once by saving
Lydia
’s life. Briggs deserved Rick’s loyalty, nothing less.

Rick dropped his bag just inside his door and ran a hand through his hair. His nerves had been on edge since Floyd had stuck the needle in his arm. It was the unknown that was making it worse. He just hoped that the general had some answers for them. He turned and pulled the door open and left everything where he’d dropped it.

Rick knocked on the open door to the general’s office. “You got a minute for me.”

The general looked up from the report he was studying and motioned to the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat and shut the door behind you.”

Rick nodded and pushed the door closed behind him before he took a seat in the leather chair.  “Has there been any news on my blood work?”

The general picked up the report he’d been analyzing and leaned back in his chair. “It just so happens that I have the tests right here.”

Rick leaned forward and held out his hand. “What does it say?”

The general handed it to him. “There are only a few abnormalities, but nothing life threatening. How do you feel?”

Rick read the medical gibberish on the report that had been handed to him. He couldn’t decipher the results. He looked up and placed the report on the general’s desk. “I feel fine. A little on edge but that’s to be expected after everything that’s happened.”

The general nodded. “You’re right. But just to be on the safe side, I think that we need to monitor you.” The general stood and walked to the coffee pot, refilled his mug, and poured another one for Rick. “Micah’s been cooperative.”

Rick took the cup. “Who?”

The general walked back over to his desk and sat. He pulled out another file and slid it across the desk. Rick reached for it and flipped it open. The picture of a built guy with a mustache starred back at him. The name read Micah Nichols with a brief bio, nothing more.

“
Lydia
and Briggs captured him while trying to rescue you. He’s the one who told them where Floyd was keeping you, and I must say that he’s full of information for a low man on the proverbial totem pole. He paid attention and filled in a lot of the blanks, even giving us a composite of what Floyd looks like.”

The general sipped his coffee before he set it down. He put his elbows on the table. “Here’s what we’ve got. Floyd is delusional. He thinks that he can create a super-human army of people with gifts. His only problem is that most of his soldiers don’t have any gifts.”

Rick couldn’t hide the grin that he felt on his lips. The situation wasn’t funny by any stretch, but he couldn’t help himself. “Kind of like you, with the army of supernatural soldiers. The only difference is that you’re doing it for the greater good and Floyd is just pure evil, so essentially he is the opposite of you, but still playing the same roll.”

The general raised his brow. “We are nothing alike.”

Rick held up his hands palms out. “I didn’t mean anything bad. It was just my observation.”

The general shook his head. “Anyway, Floyd has a team of scientists working for him. They’ve been trying to create a serum to inject normal people and make them into super soldiers. Up until now, he hasn’t had anyone survive the injections.”

Rick lowered his head and looked back down at the file that lay open on his desk before he raised his head and met the general’s gaze. “You mean until now.”

The general gave a slight nod. “You’re the first. The only problem is we don’t know the effect it’s going to have on you or even what he used in the serum. Our doctors are pulling your old medical records and comparing your old blood analysis to your new one. Hopefully we’ll have more answers when they get the results back.”

“Any news on who you think the mole might be?”

The general lowered his head before he stood and walked to the door. “I have an idea, but right now I can’t prove anything.” General Lister pulled the door open. “In the meantime, don’t trust anyone, and I want you to start training with the others. I want to test you against some of their abilities and maybe we’ll figure out your new abilities. Then we’ll be better off. The fact that the injection itself didn’t kill you has me curious and uneasy.”

Rick stood and walked over to the door. He held out his hand. “Thanks for coming after me and for watching out for
Lydia
. I didn’t realize how much she needed to be here, until now.”

The general gripped his hand and shook. “It’s not just
Lydia
that needs to be here; it’s you too. I think you’re good for her. You help to remind her what she’s fighting to accomplish.”

Rick left the general’s office with more questions on his mind than he had answers. He had a bit of nervous energy that he needed to work off before he exploded.  After changing into his workout clothes, he went in search of a gym. He found Marlaina inside the gym on one of the treadmills. Her blonde hair was slick against her head from sweating. Her face was red from exertion. It was apparent that she’d been on the machine for a while. Rick hadn’t wanted company while he was working out, so he ignored her. There were too many variables about being in a place where you didn’t know who to trust. As of right now, his trust was limited to those who had saved his and
Lydia
’s lives, and only a few had their hands in that.

Rick watched as Marlaina’s gaze ran the full length of his body and back up. She narrowed her eyes and licked her lips. He didn’t know if she was interested or pissed off. Talk about mixed signals. Regardless, she wasn’t acting like her usual self. Rick shook his head and ignored the blonde’s looks and walked over to the punching bag. He dropped his towel on a nearby bench, ran tape around both of his hands, shoved in his ear buds, and hit play on his iPod. He let the loud music soak into his soul and drown out his overactive thoughts as he started to pound out his frustrations into the hanging bag.

He was lost in rhythm he’d created with the combination punch. Sweat dripped down his nose, and he hit the bag harder, imagining he was fighting with Floyd. The vision he’d seen of
Lydia
lying unconscious when he was rescued flashed in his mind. Rick gritted his teeth and nailed the bag, not holding back. The seventy-pound bag was torn from the brackets in the ceiling, went flying across the room, and crashed into the drywall.

He’d been in the zone while hitting the bag. He hadn’t even seen Brody walk in, but he was standing next to him now.

“Easy, tiger.” Brody pointed toward the gaping dent in the wall. “Have you always been able to do that?”

Rick shook his head. He stood there in disbelief that it was even possible he’d had the strength. “I must have had an adrenaline rush. You know those kinds that let average men lift cars off little old ladies.”

Brody patted him on the back. “Adrenaline. Maybe.”

Rick turned toward Brody. “What are you doing here? Have you checked in on
Lydia
? Is she okay?”

Brody laughed. “Calm down, Romeo. I’ve already looked in on her, and she’s sleeping. I think almost dying might have been too much for her.”

Rick ran his hand through his hair. “I meant to thank you for what you did, but the Bennetts took
Lydia
, and I didn’t get the chance.”

Brody waved his hand in the air. “It’s nothing you wouldn’t have done for me.”

Rick shook his head. “I’m not talking about saving me. I’m talking about the jolt you gave
Lydia
. Briggs said having a human defibrillator probably saved her life.

Brody’s smile fell. His lips thinned. “Man, I couldn’t let anything happen to her.” Brody turned around and walked to the door, pulling it open. He turned back to Rick. “It’s my fault we had to go get you in the first place. I failed her. You have my word that I won’t let it happen again.”

Brody went through the door, leaving Rick standing in the middle of the wrecked training room. He grabbed his towel and double-timed it out of the room to catch up with Brody. Rick caught up with him and patted him on the back. “You do realize that it’s going to take a lot more than I’m capable of to keep that asshole from getting his hands on her.”

“He won’t touch her as long as there’s a breath left in me.”

Rick felt some of the weight in his chest dissipate as he pulled the door open to the training room with the padded walls. He’d been in the room before when
Lydia
and Brody had been training. “How does the general expect you to train me because I can tell you…” Rick glanced around the room. “I’m not okay with you throwing crap at my head. I’m not like
Lydia
. I can’t deflect it.”

Brody walked to the middle of the room and turned toward Rick. “How do you know unless you try? I bet you’ve never unhinged a punching bag either.”

Brody levitated a plastic ball by the wall. “If I had to guess, Floyd already knew about
Lydia
and her gifts. It only stands to reason that he was trying to work on a serum to do one of two things. Either something that could disarm her gift of telekinesis…” The ball moved to the middle of the room. “Or something to give him the same ability.” The ball danced in the space between them. “How I see it is, either way, you’ll be able to stop this ball if you concentrate. You’ll either be able to stop my ability to use my gift or use your own and throw it back.”

Brody gave a slight nod. “Are you ready to try?”

Rick lifted a brow. “How in the hell am I supposed to do that?”