Authors: Rebecca Zanetti
His hand cupped her chin and turned her to face him. “Is anything too tight?”
Her head jerked. “Are you fucking kidding me?” she yelled, even her breath heating. “Too tight?”
He frowned, and his hold firmed on her chin. “Answer me.”
That was it. She freakin’ lost her mind. “Fuck you, Jory. You fucking asshole of a cold-blooded soldier traitor son of a bitch.” The words started to flow together so rapidly she lost track of verbs. “You are all robot—not even fucking human. You don’t feel a thing, you sociopathic dickhead.”
He lifted one eyebrow, and something glimmered in his odd eyes.
Oh, hell no. Rage scalded her throat. “You are not fucking amused right now!”
He pressed his lips together. His thumb swept across her jaw. “Nope. And you’re wrong.”
A tremble wound through her. The gentleness from the dangerous soldier threatened to short-circuit her brain. Her heart clenched. “About what?” Her tone quieted, and her shoulders hunched in what actually felt like defeat.
“I feel way too much with you.” Ducking his head, he swept his lips across hers.
She blinked, stunned. Sweet warmth caressed her mouth and blazed through her, landing in her abdomen and spreading. She swayed.
Humming, he released her to gently push her over on the seat. Quick motions had him leaning across her.
Her lungs compressed, and she pushed back against the seat.
“I won’t hurt you.” He secured the passenger seat belt around her. No threats, no anger, no freakin’ emotion at all from him. She blinked, fighting the effects of his kiss and her struggle. She’d fought him with everything she had, and he hadn’t even broken a sweat. Who the hell was this guy?
She tried to rub her mouth, and her hands remained bound. Anger torpedoed through her again. He ripped free wires and ignited the engine, and she glared with every ounce of mental strength she owned, picturing his head imploding. Or exploding. She didn’t give a shit which way his head blew.
He had no right to be so calm, and definitely no right to control her body with something as simple as a quick kiss. No right at all. Left with no other alternative, she screamed.
He clapped a hand over her mouth, no emotion on his fallen-angel face. When she stopped, panting in breath, he
exhaled and pointed to a bunch of filthy rags on the floor. “That’s all I have to gag you with. It’s your choice.”
Bile rose from her stomach. Dirt, oil, and who knows what else covered the rags. She’d die if he shoved one in her mouth. She searched his face, his expression, for any reassurance that he wouldn’t follow through on the threat.
Nothing. No doubt, no give glimmered in his eyes or softened his hard jawline.
Finally, she nodded, and he slowly removed his hand. She hunched her shoulders, her stomach sinking that he’d consider gagging her. Oh, this was so not over, but she didn’t have much of a choice. Helplessness should make her feel vulnerable, but instead, fury boiled through her veins. “I’m so going to kill you,” she muttered.
He jerked his head. “Can’t say I blame you.” Then a grin split his face. “I’d much rather die looking at you than the commander or Madison. If we get to that point, feel free.”
She blinked. Her heart thumped. “How can you be so blasé about death?”
He chuckled, the sound lacking any warmth while he drove over potholes to the quiet road. “Baby, I’ve lived with death since my birth. Believe me, if I didn’t have a promise to fulfill, I’d probably be ready.” His grin disappeared, regret coloring his tone. “Sometimes the fight just ends, you know?”
“Then stop fighting,” she said softly. What demons lived in the guy’s head?
He drew in air. “After this job, I’m done fighting.”
She tried to loosen her hands, but the seat belt didn’t give. “What promise?”
“Huh?” He kept his gaze on the two-lane highway.
“You said you have a promise to fulfill. What promise?” Maybe she could get him to relate to her and let her go. That worked with serial killers, right?
“Oh.” He settled back onto the worn seat, his gaze flicking over her. Finally, he shrugged. “To save my brothers since they did nothing but save my life since day one. I owe them, and I promised myself that I’d take care of them even if I don’t make it. I owe them.”
Brothers? The commander had mentioned soldiers that he related to as brothers. Was that what he meant? Didn’t he betray them? “I don’t understand.” What about the Russians?
“I know.” Thunder cracked overhead, and black clouds raced across the wide expanse of sky. A raindrop splattered against the glass. “I figured the less you knew, the safer you’d be. But the commander will assume I’ve told you everything, even if I haven’t, so it’s up to you. Do you want the truth, or do you want to go back to him and hope he believes you don’t know anything?” Jory’s odd gray gaze raked her. “Maybe you won’t be in danger since you share a genetic link.”
Why did he sound so doubtful? “I don’t understand why you’d kidnap me.” Unless he planned to use her against her father.
He leaned back into the leather seat. “To start with, I took you because you’re going to write down what you remember from the new computer program you just created. Now I have you because the assholes chasing us consider you collateral damage and will kill you.” His voice remained calm and almost thoughtful. No stress, no remorse, no worry.
She tried to calm her racing heart. “So?”
“So?” He glanced down, gray eyes intense. “I’m not allowing you to get killed just because I’m being hunted. I have a plan, and after you tell me what I need to know, I will make sure you get home safely.”
Oh, she’d get free on her own, and she had no reason to trust him. For now, she needed to keep him talking until she found the right moment to escape. “Fine. Tell me the truth
as you see it.” Perhaps Jory was just delusional. He had been shot several times, and who knew what kind of damage that could do to a guy’s head? Of course, considering he’d turned her body into a bundle of needy nerves, her head was screwed up, too. “Please.”
“I’m an experiment created by the commander and Dr. Madison to be a killing machine.”
Oh God. Her vision tunneled. “Like a robot?”
He coughed out air. “No. Well, not exactly. I think we’re all human.” Doubt lowered his consonants. “At least, I hope so.”
“You said ‘we.’ ”
“My brothers. We were raised together as an experiment, and we got loose five years ago. With the kill chips in our spines.” His knuckles whitened on the torn steering wheel. “Chips implanted by your father and Madison.”
Piper shook her head, the mere idea drying the spit in her mouth. “No. That’s impossible.” She’d been warned how charming and manipulative Jory could be before she’d stepped foot inside the computer room. “You’re lying.”
“Am I?” He kept his gaze straightforward. “Believe what you want, Piper. But something tells me you’re more than a pretty face and a big heart. You have a huge brain or you wouldn’t have been able to create that computer program so quickly. So use your brain. Figure out the truth.”
A rock slammed into her gut. Too many questions assailed her, and the answers only lined up with logic she didn’t like. At all. So she turned to watch the trees fly by as the storm gathered in force. “Where are we going?”
Lightning flashed across the sky, angry and violent. Jory swerved to avoid a downed tree limb. “How do you feel about camping?”
J
ORY LED THE
way through swaying pine trees, his mind fighting training, his boots leaving large imprints in the moist soil. While he could remain outwardly calm, emotions crashed through him in an unreal succession. Could the coma have unleashed emotion he had always banished? Or had it been Piper? The woman was… unique.
He didn’t need to turn to be completely tuned into her. Breathing, heart rate, scent. What the hell was happening to him?
But even now, Matt’s voice rang in his ear.
Think. Don’t feel.
The smart move was to head into the forest where the commander’s air support couldn’t find him. The forces would search all around but concentrate more on the city, thinking Jory would reach out for help.
So he had to find safety before reaching out.
Behind him, Piper mumbled incoherent words as she followed him through the dark forest. Every once in a while, he caught a
bastard
, a
shit-tard
, and once she may have threatened to yank his balls out through his ears. That one was his favorite so far.
He’d disabled the car after driving as far as possible into the forest and then carried her a few miles until she wouldn’t know how to get out. At that point, being a smart woman, she’d chosen to follow him.
While probably planning his death.
He liked that about her. Spunk and intelligence went
nicely with her rounded ass and gorgeous face. Too bad she hated him now.
Or maybe that was good. She was the commander’s daughter.
But damn, she intrigued him.
And when he’d finally gotten her talking about the program she’d created during their long car ride, she’d impressed the hell out of him. Brilliant, really. His brain was already adding to her program, and by the time he was in front of a computer, he’d have it altered enough to save his brothers.
Which meant he could now let her go. They were probably still enemies, and he’d promised her freedom.
So why did the thought of releasing her make his gut hurt like he’d been punched?
The river rushed wildly next to the barely there path, surprisingly full from the many rains of the past several weeks. Coming off the Wasatch Mountain Range, it appeared crisp and cold as hell.
He pivoted to put Piper in his peripheral vision. The woman kept glancing at the rushing river. “Planning to toss me in?” he asked.
Her head jerked. “Of course not.” Pink rose to cover her high cheekbones.
“Liar.” Why did they have to be enemies? Or did they? The commander would just hurt her, so maybe that should put them on the same side? Jory’s unreal desire for her went beyond the physical.
Just who the heck was this woman?
Why did it matter?
The scent of wet pine permeated the air, while the roll of thunder in the distance promised a hell of a storm heading in. They had to find shelter before rain began again, and from a cursory glance at the map, he figured cabins would soon line the riverbanks.
Abandoned cabins this late in the season.
From there, he could plan. It was doubtful a seasonal cabin would hold a cell phone, but he’d get his hands on one somehow.
The scent of smoke wandered through the pines.
Good. Late-season campers. For now, he had to get Piper to safety before the storm broke. She struggled on behind him, having suddenly gone quiet. So he paused and reached for her arm. “You all right?”
“Peachy.” She shrugged him off, glancing into the rapidly darkening pines. “You have a plan here?”
“Of course.” Although she probably wouldn’t like it. A slight narrowing of the brush caught his attention, and he led her through a myriad of cottonwoods to a quaint cabin all boarded up.
Lightning zagged above, and Piper jumped.
“For now, let’s get inside.” He threw a shoulder into the door, and the rugged wood opened with barely a protest.
She stomped up the stairs and followed him inside. “No super-spy MacGyver moves, huh?”
The woman actually sounded disappointed by that, and Jory’s chest swelled. It was rare for somebody to appreciate his geek side. “With an old door, the direct approach works best.”
Her lips tipped in a quick grin she quickly quashed.
He sighed to view their new digs. A mattress took up one corner, while a small kitchenette lined one wall. The doorway took up a third wall, and a carved fireplace the final wall. No frills. Yet a sense of intimacy filtered through the tidy space, speeding up his breath.
She swallowed. “You’re kidding me.”
“City girl.” He immediately went for the wood and paper near the fireplace, no doubt kept in place for lost hikers. The scent of wood competed with the fresh scent of woman.
Man, she went right to his head. He had to let go of images of Piper naked and get to the business at hand. The woman was way too appealing, and the fact that she might want him dead should cool his libido. Although it didn’t. Seconds later, he had a fire going. The river rushed mercilessly outside, striving to reach the ocean so far away.
Piper hovered by the door, her body language saying it all. Thunder cracked like angry gods.
“There’s nowhere to go, green eyes.” He gestured toward the faded floral couch. “Take a seat and warm up.”
A myriad of expressions crossed her face, each easy to read, and each more fascinating than the last. “No.”
He barked out a laugh, unable to help himself. For sure he thought she’d go with either a heartfelt
fuck you
or another argument to let her go. Pure defiance looked good on her, even with the near exhaustion darkening those amazing eyes. But the lingering glimmer of fear there caught him up short.
“I know dozens of ways to kill somebody, Piper. If I wanted you dead, it’d be a done deal already. Please don’t be afraid.” Yeah, the words probably failed to reassure her, but he’d never been smooth with people. Computers made so much more sense.
Her lashes lifted, and her gaze sharpened. “I’m not afraid.”
So brave, or rather, trying to be so brave. “Good. And I really am sor—”
Her eyes flashed. “Don’t you even fucking
think
of saying you’re sorry. You’re not sorry. You’re guilty as hell of kidnapping, and you do not get to say you’re sorry.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I’m sor—”
“Stop.” She held up a hand, fury dancing red across her cheeks. “I will drown you if you try again.”
Fair enough. He could give her that. No more apologies. “Fine. Then how about a plan?”
She lifted one eyebrow in an oddly endearing way. Most people looked dangerous or focused with the one eyebrow lifted. Not Piper. Damn cute. Way too damn cute. “What’s your plan?”
He licked his lips. “First, you get warm.” Moving slowly so as not to alarm her, he drew her toward the sofa. “Please.”
“No politeness.” Her voice held snap, while her shoulders held fatigue. “Don’t even think it.”
“I won’t,” he said gently, his body relaxing when she sat nearer the fire. The world had chilled outside, and he wouldn’t allow her to become ill. She seemed tough, but her skin was soft and her bone structure delicate. Then he crouched, placing both hands above her knees, startled again by the fragility of her bones. Touching her felt right, and the clamoring always alive in his chest quieted. “I’m going to find a phone and call my brothers. Then we’ll figure out a way to get you home—if you want to go back home.”
Her forehead wrinkled when she focused on him. “Of course I want to go home. Why wouldn’t I?”
Damn, her naïveté hit him square in the solar plexus, aiming hard for the bundle of nerves that could decapitate him. Or was it naïveté? Being in the commander’s vicinity meant strategies and lies, so maybe she’d just been in the dark for too long. The commander had gone so far as to plant false files about Jory. Part of him wanted to explain reality to her, while the other part thought it’d be best for her to retain a sense of wonder with her father.
He’d never had a father.
Sure, he’d Matt and Nate, but even then, they’d been brothers. They all probably had different egg donors, but it didn’t feel that way. They were brothers, bound to the soul.
He liked it that way.
Even so, what about Piper? She had a real, living, flesh-and-blood father. But he was fucking evil.
Although, would he be evil with Piper? Jory knew his brothers could be brutal killers, and yet they loved and trusted each other completely. Maybe Piper had a chance to see, to experience, a different side of the commander. Although what Jory had already seen didn’t look good.
Deep down, where hope still managed to keep a tendril hold, he hoped for Piper. He didn’t want to tell her the full truth, but he might need her cooperation. “Didn’t you wonder why the commander wasn’t really in your life?”
She shook her head, her chin lifting. “He didn’t know about me until I turned seventeen.”
Jory blinked. Shit. Should he tell her the truth? The commander was lying to her, and it wasn’t right. “He knew about you, sweetheart. He told me when he discovered he was having a girl, he decided not to get involved.”
Twin splotches of red spun into Piper’s face. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not.” Should he have? Although he was suddenly experiencing emotions, he didn’t know which ones to trust. Currently, he just needed her safe. “Piper, just think about it. For now, I have to go find a phone in one of the nearby cabins.” He’d seen smoke, so somebody was out camping. “Can I trust you to stay here?”
She held her hands out to the fire, her shoulders shivering, dismissing him. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
The mournfulness in the statement hit him square in the gut, but he knew better than to apologize. “I’ll be back as soon as possible, and then we’ll figure out a way for you to get home.”
She kept her gaze averted, her focus on the fire. “Fine.”
He sighed. Yeah, he’d left her with nowhere to go, and that sucked. But at least he was keeping her safe. Temporarily. “I’ll be back shortly.”
Even so, he paused at the doorway to take one last look at her. Just to make a memory in case the night went to hell,
which was more than possible. In profile, she looked like perfection. Angled face, small features, strong jaw. She held her hands out to the fire, and shadows danced across her freely. She didn’t look his way—pure stubbornness.
He loved that spunk.
Closing the door, he took a deep breath to view the raging storm. Even while standing under the small eave, rain and hail smashed into his clothing, turning him instantly wet. He banished the sense of cold as he’d been trained, this mission being nothing compared to one in the Ukraine years ago. He’d nearly frozen off his ears there while trying to find a hidden computer control room.
He’d found the room and disabled the computers.
Even now, he could feel the cold, though.
Ducking his head, he dodged into the melee, brushing pine needles out of his hair. He wove through trees, sticking close to the river. The scent of smoke tickled his senses, and he followed the smell.
He found a cabin sending beacons of light out wide windows. Rustic but well built, the porch held a myriad of fishing equipment. Inside, boisterous laughter echoed. Tuning in his senses, the ones way beyond normal, Jory discerned three heartbeats, a mixture of rum, beer, and Jack Daniels, as well as the scent of two dogs.
Man camp.
One of the heartbeats skipped every once in a while. The guy should get that checked.
They’d have a cell phone or two, so there were a couple of options. Jory could ask for help or just take the phone with force, but remaining unseen was a better choice. Plus, he really didn’t want to beat up a few older guys just having a vacation. So he’d be back when they’d passed out.
From the smell of booze, it’d be a couple of hours.
He spotted two coolers off the side of the worn porch and
slowly eased open the first one. Eureka. Cold cuts, cheese, and crackers. He could at least get some food into Piper while they waited for a chance to steal the phone.
Yeah, he was self-aware enough to know that he wanted to spend more time with her, and he knew this was his only chance. So he took it.
Grabbing the food and a couple of sodas, he fought through the storm to reach their borrowed cabin.
Ten yards away, he knew she wasn’t there. The cabin lay too quiet in the storm. No breathing, no heartbeat, no sense of life.
Holy fucking damn it.
He ran inside and tossed the food on the table. The woman was supposed to be a genius, and she’d gone out in the storm? A rare heat wound down his throat, and his fingers clenched. What if something happened to her?
Drawing deep, he centered himself in a crazy universe and opened his senses—the ones he never used. The ones he was afraid made him less than human, and more something else.
God knows what the scientists had done to him.
Her scent caught on the breeze, and like a bloodhound, he turned and tracked.
The wind fought him, throwing rain, hail, and even rocks at his face. Like an animal, he stayed low, weaving through trees and shrubs. A branch slashed across his jaw, and he paused. The trail split into two directions. One looked like it widened into almost a road, while the other narrowed into tall grass toward the river.
The obvious choice was the road.
So he turned toward the river. Piper was anything but obvious.
Mud coated his legs and tried to capture his feet in the cheap boots, but he plunged ahead. The rain chilled and dug
deep, and he needed to reach Piper before she froze. She had to be struggling by now.
Movement up ahead narrowed his focus.
Damn woman.
She jogged alongside the swollen river, her head down, water beating her small body.
Admiration filtered through him to compete with the fury.
As she stumbled, anger won.
“Goddamn it, Piper,” he yelled, rushing toward her. If she wasn’t careful, the woman would drown.
She whirled around, her eyes wide. “How the hell?”
Now that would take much too long to explain. So he reached her in several strides, his fury rising.