The Recruit (Book Three) (20 page)

Will stroked
the thick fur on her side soothingly as he crouched over her. “I’m
so sorry, honey. Take deep breaths.”

She whined
again before shaking her head and Will winced when blood flew from
her mouth. She shifted with a soft pop and he yanked his shirt off
and wrapped it around her naked body before lifting her into her
arms.

“She tried to
attack me, Will.” Jordan said quietly. “She’s a liability and she
can’t stay.”

Will glanced
over his shoulder. His eyes were glowing with anger and he bared
his teeth at the older man as Jordan’s hand tightened on the gun.
Before he could say anything else, Will strode jerkily from the
room.

* * *

“How is she?”
Douglas peered around Will into the dim apartment.

“Fine.” Will
grunted. “I had Bev look at her. I broke a couple of her ribs but
she’s healing and sleeping.”

“Good. Can I
come in?”

Will hesitated
before stepping back. “Keep your voice down. She needs more
rest.”

Douglas nodded
and sat down at the island. Hanna was lying motionless on the bed
and Douglas sighed softly before turning to Will.

“Jordan’s
called a meeting in half an hour for the instructors.”

“Has he? I
didn’t get the invitation.” Will replied irritably.

“I believe he’s
going to tell us that he’s kicking Hannah out of the program.”

Will snarled
under his breath. “There’s no fucking way I’m letting him kick her
out.”

“You’ll be
fired as well, Will. You know that.”

“I don’t care.”
Will snapped. “That asshole has fifteen year old boys joining the
program. Since when did we start letting children into the program,
Douglas?”

Douglas
shrugged. “The rumour I’ve heard is that Jordan was told by the
Board of Directors to approach the twins. You have to admit that
for their age they are rather remarkable at killing vampires.”

“It doesn’t
mean they should be in the program.” Will raked his hand through
his hair before standing and pacing back and forth in the small
kitchen. “Honestly, I’m not sure I even want to stay if we’re going
to be allowing children to fight our fucking battles.”

“The twins are
not your average teenagers.” Douglas pointed out gently. “Besides,
you and Hannah aren’t their guardians and you have no say over what
they do or don’t do. It would be better for you to train them and
keep an eye on them, don’t you think?”

Will shrugged
before rubbing wearily at his forehead. “Fuck, Douglas, I don’t
know what to do.”

Douglas glanced
at Hannah before lowering his voice. “Did she really try and attack
Jordan?”

Will nodded.
“Yes. If I hadn’t shown up when I did she would have torn his
throat out. If Jordan hadn’t shot her first.”

Douglas sighed
as Will dropped on to the stool across from him. “What do I do,
Douglas? She,” he hesitated, “she’s not learning to control it as
well as I had hoped. I haven’t said anything to her, just told her
that she needs more time, but she still can’t shift without being
angry nor can she control the urge to shift when she’s upset. Have
you seen others struggle like this?”

Douglas gave
him a careful look. “Truthfully, I have not met that many humans
who were turned. The few that I knew did well in learning to
control it.”

Will sighed
loudly and Douglas patted his hand before standing and placing the
kettle on the stove. “I’ll make us some tea.”

Will smiled
faintly. “Tea doesn’t solve everything, Douglas.”

“No, I suppose
not, but it does help clear the head.” Douglas replied.

Will watched
silently as Douglas made the tea and nodded his thanks when the old
Lycan placed a mug in front of him. He stared at the dark liquid as
Douglas sat down and sipped some tea.

“You know,” he
said thoughtfully, “perhaps the problem is that there is too much
going on for Hannah to fully concentrate on learning to control the
shift. She’s worried about Chen, about her parents, and now about
the twins. Perhaps what she needs is to be taken away from it for a
little while.”

“She’ll never
agree to it, Douglas.” Will replied.

“Then you must
convince her.” Douglas said firmly. “Remind her that her parents
and Chen are perfectly safe in the facility. The twins won’t be
going out hunting anytime soon so they’re in no danger either.
Hell, this facility is the safest place for them at the
moment.”

“I can try.”
Will said moodily.

Douglas frowned
at him. “You must do more than try, Will. Jordan may be willing to
hold off on kicking Hannah out of the program if you take her away
for a month or two and teach her to control it. At the meeting
tonight, I’ll speak to Jordan and convince him to wait until you
and Hannah come back. You can take Hannah deep into the woods and
spend the next few weeks teaching her how to manage her Lycan side.
She’s a bright girl – this will work.”

“And if it
doesn’t?” Will suddenly asked hoarsely. “If she becomes one of the
half-breed Lycans that can never be trusted, then what? She won’t
be welcome in the human world or the Lycan one.”

“That’s not
going to happen.” Douglas said firmly. He reached out and squeezed
Will’s hand. “This will work. I know it will.”

* * *

Jordan stared at the instructors gathered in
his office. “No doubt, you’ve all heard that Hannah attacked me
earlier today.”

When there was no reply, he cleared his
throat and continued. “I’ve made the decision to remove Hannah from
the program. Once our meeting is finished, I’ll be speaking with
the Board of Directors about my decision.”

Mannie swore under his breath before glaring
at Jordan. “What about Will?”

“What about him?” Jordan raised his eyebrows.
“He’s still employed.”

Mannie snorted. “If you kick Hannah from the
program, he’ll leave.”

“Well, that’s obviously his own personal
choice. I’ll do my best to convince him to stay but he’s free to go
if that’s what he wants.”

Douglas leaned forward. “Jordan, I’ve spoken
with Will and suggested that he take Hannah away from the facility
for a month or two. It’s impossible for Hannah to learn to control
the shift with so much happening around her. Give her a second
chance and I guarantee you that when she returns, she’ll be in full
control of her Lycan side.”

Jordan hesitated before shaking his head. “I
can’t do that, Douglas. I appreciate how skilled Hannah is and I
know she’s one of our best in the program but the situation has
changed. If she lost her temper and attacked and killed one of the
recruits or, hell, one of you, it’s my ass on the line. I can’t
take the chance, I’m sorry.”

“Give her a chance.” Douglas implored. “You
can understand why she was so upset about the twins. Hell, we all
are.”

Mannie grunted. “Three quarters of the new
recruits are barely out of their teens. That’s too young,
Jordan.”

Jordan sighed harshly. “What do you want me
to say? The Board chose the recruits, not me. And I’m sorry but I
can’t allow Hannah to stay in the program. End of discussion.”

Chen, his face pale but composed, stood and
walked toward the door.

Jordan frowned at him. “Chen, where are you
going?”

“
I quit, Jordan. I’ll pack my things and
leave the facility by tomorrow morning.”

Jordan’s mouth dropped open. “You what? Chen,
you can’t quit.”

Chen smiled at him. “I can and I am. If
you’re kicking Hannah out of the program, I’m quitting.”

Jordan gave him a grim look. “You’re making a
mistake, Chen.”

“You’re the one making a mistake.” Chen
replied softly.

Mannie stood up. “I quit too.”

Jordan stared in disbelief as Reid, his right
arm still enclosed in a thick cast, stood as well. “Fuck it. I
quit, Jordan.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Jordan snapped as a
small smile crossed Douglas’ face. “The three of you cannot quit
just because – “

“
Four.” Constance rose to her feet and gave
Jordan a sweet smile. “I quit, Jordan.”

Douglas stood with an easy grace. “Consider
this my resignation, Jordan.”

“
For fuck’s sake!” Jordan shouted.
“Have
you all lost your
damn minds?”

Douglas shrugged. “Give Hannah a second
chance and we’ll stay. All of us.”

“This is blackmail!” Jordan shouted
again.

“It’s not blackmail.” Mannie said cheerily.
“We’ve all just had the sudden urge to pursue other career options.
I’m sure the Board of Directors will understand.”

Jordan glared at the group of instructors.
His face was bright red and he was gripping the armrests on his
chair hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

“Fine!” He suddenly snapped. “I’ll give
Hannah one more chance. But if this doesn’t work - if she attacks
and kills someone at this facility - I swear to God, I’ll take all
of you down with me. Do you hear me?”

Douglas nodded. “I’ll speak to Will and let
him know you’ve had a change of heart.”

“Get out!” Jordan roared. “All of you out of
my fucking office, right now!”

* * *

“Promise me you’ll be careful.” Natalie said
softly.

“
I will, mom.” Hannah smiled wanly at her
as she hugged Jim.

“Is this really
necessary?” Natalie gave Will a plaintive look and the Lycan
nodded.

“It is. I’m
sorry, Natalie.”

The twins,
their faces uncharacteristically somber, leaned against a tree and
stared into the woods as Hannah approached them.

She hugged
Luther tightly and kissed his cheek. “Be good, Luther, I love
you.”

“Yeah.” He
sighed.

She hugged him
again before turning to Tyrone. “You too, Tyrone. Stay out of
trouble.”

Tyrone nodded,
his throat working compulsively, and Hannah pulled him into her
embrace. “I love you, honey. I’ll be back soon.”

“I’m sorry,
Hannah. This is our fault.” He whispered into her ear.

“It isn’t,
honey. Just promise me that you’ll work hard and listen to Mannie
and Constance, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good.” She kissed his cheek and turned to
embrace Selena.

Selena hugged her tightly. “I’ll see you
soon, Hannah.”

“You bet. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Selena replied before
stepping back.

Chen was standing behind her and Hannah
smiled faintly at him. “Hello, master.”

“Hello, Hannah.”

She hesitated and then hugged him firmly.
He returned her hug and she placed her mouth to his ear.

“
I’m afraid, master.” She breathed
lightly.

His arm tightened around her and
he stared solemnly at her. “You
have nothing to fear. This is no different than learning the
sword.”

“It’s completely different.” She
protested.

“
It is not.” He replied calmly. “You will
master this just as you mastered the sword. Do you
understand?”

“
Yes, master.” She smiled briefly and
hugged him again before taking Will’s hand.

He adjusted the large pack strapped to his
back and gave her a confident smile. With one last look at the
others gathered at the edge of the forest, the two of them
disappeared into the trees.

Chapter 16

“We’re lost, Gary.”

“We are not lost, Jill.”

“Yes, we are.” The petite blonde woman glared
at the driver.

Gary sighed as Jill crossed her arms and
stared woodenly out the windshield. “It’s not my fault. These small
towns all look the same. Besides, you’re the one who forgot the
GPS.”

“
Oh, so now this is my fault? I wasn’t the
one who had the brilliant idea to take a shortcut.” She said
frostily.

“
Oh for God’s sake, Jill, we - ”

“
There’s a gas station. Stop there and
we’ll ask for directions.” She interrupted as she pointed to the
dimly-glowing gas sign about twenty feet ahead of them.

“
Let’s just go a little further. I’m pretty
sure that - ”

“Stop the car, Gary!”

“
Fine!” He grunted irritably and pulled
into the gas station. He parked in front of the small building and
stared at its grungy windows and flickering ‘open’ sign. “Is the
damn place even open?”

“Of course it’s open.” Jill snapped.

She exited the car, slamming the door so
hard the car rocked. Gary sighed again and stepped out of the car.
He stretched tiredly before scanning the area curiously. There were
two ancient gas pumps in front of the store and a smaller building
- a faded restroom sign tacked to the front - to the left of it. He
squinted in the growing dark at the building that loomed behind the
station. It was a house, the paint faded and peeling and the front
porch sagging dangerously, and a shiver of apprehension slid down
his spine. About twenty feet behind the house was an old barn. Like
the house, it was old and tired-looking and surrounded by overgrown
bushes. Vines covered nearly half of the building, creeping and
crawling up the sides of the rotting wood, and he cleared his
throat nervously.

“Jill, wait!” He called softly.

“What?” She gave him an impatient look as she
reached for the door of the gas station.

“I think we should keep moving.”

“
Don’t be ridiculous, Gary. We have no idea
where we are, I’m thirsty and I have to pee. Let’s just get the
damn directions, okay?”

Without waiting for his answer, she pulled
open the door and disappeared into the building. He took another
look around - his skin was crawling with goose bumps and he had a
sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach - before following
her.