Act of Mercy (PSI-Ops / Immortal Ops) (14 page)

Hot need rushed through him and he had to t
amp it down. Mercy looked back at him, her eyes wide. He winked at her, wanting her to know everything would be all right.

“
You ready, Doc?” he asked. “We need to keep moving and you need to stay behind us. You agreed.”

“
The weapon would have hurt you,” she managed.

She protected you as a mate should
, Corbin said.

Striker and Boomer joine
d them. Striker bent near the guard and lifted the guard’s arm. It flopped to the floor like a rubber snake being dropped. “Badass, little doctor. Badass.”

She opened her mouth to protest
, but Duke bent, kissing her chastely. He looked to Boomer. “Can you watch her? Striker is shit at it.”

“
Hey, you try pixie sittin’.” Striker flashed a wide smile. He was up to no good, again. “She’s tougher than she looks.”

Corbin tipped his head and did the hand signal for company. Duke grabbed his woman and thrust her be
hind him, before moving to a better position with her. She didn’t protest. That was good. He’d have probably tanned her backside if she had.

Yeah, and she
’d have turned me into a puddle of goo.

Literally
.

Striker was right. His woman was badass. Manly prid
e puffed out his chest as he kept her back and out of harm’s way. Corbin and Boomer made quick work of the approaching set of guards, dropping them with ease.

Duke nodded to Mercy.
“Go ahead, baby.”

She went to the next biometric scanner. He wasn
’t sure what the hell she was doing, only that she talked to herself while she did it. That and the entire thing was adorable.

She was adorable.

As he felt a sappy grin spreading over his face, he cleared it away, trying to look stern. His teammates were there, smiling at him.

Looks like you do nae hate something after all.

Duke flipped off Striker.

The other men laughed.

Mercy stepped back as the next set of doors opened. She paused before following. Duke stopped as well. “One second,” she said.

She fiddled with som
e wiring and then took his hand, allowing him to lead her down to the next level. They were almost to the next scanner and checkpoint when there was a giant boom from above—where they’d only just left.

Mercy put her hands in the air and did a small
victory dance. “That’s right. That’s right. I did it. I did it.”

“
Duke?” Corbin asked.

“
I’ve got nothing.” And he didn’t. His woman was a breed all unto herself. There really wasn’t a label for her except—his.

She stopped dancing and
pointed upwards. “I thought more guards might try to follow us so I rigged the scanner.”

“
To do what, exactly, lass?” asked Striker.

Boomer neared, sniffing the air. He smiled wide.
“Blow up if tampered with.”

Mercy nodded.

Boomer touched her arm. “I like you a lot, Doc.”

She patted h
is hand. “I like you too, Miles.”

“
Where is the stun gun Striker gave you?” Duke demanded, worrying about her.

She withdrew it from the back of her skirt
’s waistband and investigated it closer. Duke could almost see her mind working, figuring out how it worked. His woman was too smart for him.

Way too fucking smart for
him.

He touched her cheek.
“Stay here with Striker. We’ll be back when the next path is clear. Got it?”

She nodded.

The moment Duke and the other two were out of her line of sight Mercy raced into one of the side labs. Striker followed her, huffing and shaking his head. “Lass, you cannae just run off. Could be dangerous. What the hell is this place?”

“
A lab.”

He eyed th
e rows of cages that lined the walls. They were small, made for animals, not shifters. Currently, they held many different animal species. Mercy spent a lot of time down here after hours, trying to care for the animals, trying to make a difference and give them something close to love and affection. She always fed them, knowing sometimes the scientists withheld food as punishment.

She wanted them free from this horrible life.

Striker rushed to the lab door and looked out and then back. “We cannae let Boomer see this.”

She didn
’t ask why. Striker was drawn instantly to the wolf. He bent before the cage and put his fingers in. Mercy had a feeling the wolf wouldn’t attack him like it always did the scientists from the area. It had been touchy whenever she would near its cage, allowing her to feed it but always giving her a warning stare. One she respected and didn’t push.

As suspected, the wolf nuzzled against Striker
’s hands, looking incredibly sad. Striker nodded. “I know, boy. I’m gonna set you and the others free. No harm is to come to the female near me, understood.”

She heard nothing but it certainly looked as if the wolf understood Striker
’s command. He undid the cage and she tensed, wondering if the wolf would attack her as it had a doctor just a week ago, tearing the doctor’s throat out. She’d heard talk of them wanting to put the animal down. She’d protested, citing its high aggression as a positive with what they hoped to create—more human shifter males with high aggressive tendencies.

She couldn
’t blame the wolf. The tests it had endured were barbaric. If she had the ability to tear out the scientists’ throats, she’d have entertained doing so as well.

The wolf padded over to her and she went ramrod stiff. It sniffed her and whatever
it smelled made it press its nose to her crotch. She yelped.

Striker laughed.
“Yer in heat, lass. It can smell as much.”

Heat?

She gulped.

“
Do nae worry. The wolf can smell Duke’s wolf scent on you. He knows you belong to another.”

She tipped her head.
“Not this again.”

Striker shrugged and rubbed the wolf
’s head. “Let us free the others, boy.”

Mercy felt more secure in her position and knew Striker would allow no harm to come to her. She searched for what she needed and disassembled the stun gun, making qu
ick work of her tweaks to it. She had it back together in no time. Pleased with her progress, she held it up high and then pointed it like one would an actual gun.

“
Make my day, jerks.” She felt like Dirty Harry. Okay, maybe not totally like him. Maybe something more out of a sci-fi movie.

Striker
’s laugh filled the room, as did the sounds of happy animals. A group of lab rats raced past her and she stilled, fighting back a scream. They didn’t seem the least bit interested in her. Soon enough the lab was crawling with freed animals. The chimpanzees had a field day, hanging from the lighting fixtures, pointing, two laughing at Striker.

He was a regular Dr. Doolittle.

When Striker released the panthers, Mercy thought the laws of nature would play out and the animals would all attack one another. That didn’t happen. They seemed to follow Striker around, curious as to what he was doing but with no real aggression towards one another.

Well, except for one chimpanzee. He
wasn’t yucking it up like the others. He was pressed back in a corner, making antagonistic noises. Strike tried to approach him but he screeched, pounding his chest and then flashed his teeth in a manner that warned to stay back.

Striker growled, the sound low and loud, sounding animalistic, not human. As
Striker glanced at her, his normal green gaze was now amber. He looked back at the chimp. The chimp lowered his head.

Feeling bad for the chimp,
and slightly worried Striker’s animal side would leave him attacking the poor thing, Mercy tucked the stun gun into her waistband again and rushed over. She went to her knees and much to her surprise the chimp ran into her arms, hugging her as if it wanted her to protect it from the big bad werewolf.

She hugged it back.

“Och, how do you like that? We should call him Duke. He hates everyone but you. Just like Duke does.”

She laughed at the joke as she stroked the chimp
’s back lightly. “He does kind of seem like a Duke, doesn’t he?”

“
It is settled. Duke 2.0.”

She smiled.
“No. Lil’ Duke.”

Striker stood back and looked to the left, at nothing in particular.
“They cleared the next guard station and need you to override the system there.”

She gasped.
“You speak telepathically with one another?”

He
nodded. “We do.”

“
That is totally cool.”

He grinned.
“I know.”

She stood and the chimp grabbed her leg.
“No, sweetie, you can’t come. Not yet.”

The chimp ignored her. Finally, she held its hand and looked at Striker.
“He isn’t going to stay.”

“
I know. He’s a warrior. May seem sweet to you now, but he’s a fighter. Look at his scars. They tell of his battles. And do nae forget, he was willin’ to take me on.”

Her throat tightened and she squeezed Lil
’ Duke’s hand more as they left the lab.

Striker propped the
door open and laughed softly as the animals escaped. “If any guards think to flank us, they’ll meet up with a surprise.”

“
They’ll kill the animals,” she said, her voice barely there.

“
Only if the animals do nae kill ’em first. Besides, these creatures would rather die fighting for freedom than in cages. It is their nature. Trust me. I’ve been where they are. Is best to go down on yer own terms rather than another’s.”

She couldn
’t argue with his logic. He took the lead and she and Lil’ Duke followed quietly and as fast as possible. They were to the next guard station immediately. Corbin did a double take when he noticed the chimp holding her hand.

Boomer halted whatever it was he was doing with a keypad. His gaze locked on
Striker and Striker lifted his hands. “I released them all. I swear.”

With a nod, Boomer went back to work on the keypad.

Mercy went right at him, the chimp following her. “What are you trying to do?”

“
Gain access.”

She refrained from comment as she took
the lead on the project. The chimp went to Boomer and surprised Mercy by scaling Boomer, hugging him and forcing Boomer to hold him as if he were a big child. Boomer did, looking as though he had a good deal of experience in the area, and next she knew Boomer had his temple pressed to the chimp’s. They seemed to be joined in silent reflection.

Mercy quickly gained entrance
to the next area, bypassing the locks on the sliding doors. They opened and Duke whisked her to the side. The minute he made contact with her, the chimp leapt from Boomer’s arms at Duke, screeching. Duke had to pry it from him.

“
Lil’ Duke, no!” shouted Mercy.

Duke and the chimp stopped and stared at her. Duke slid a sideways glance at the chimp.
“You named it Lil’ Duke?”

Striker laughed.
“Seemed fittin’ and all. The chimp hates just about everything except for the wee doctor. Same as you.”

Duke locked gazes with her.
“You named a monkey after me?”

“
He’s not a monkey,” she protested.

Striker snorted.
“You were the one makin’ monkey jokes before we left the States. Now you get one named after you. Stop bitchin’.”

Mercy put her arms out and Lil
’ Duke came to her. He was heavy so she had to set him on his own feet. He stayed close to her, giving Duke the stink eye as they followed close behind him. Mercy was yet again forced to wait as they went ahead to clear the way.

Lil
’ Duke stayed by her side as did Striker, looking at her every once in a while and shaking his head. “Duke won’t let you keep him.”

“
I never even thought to keep him,” she said. “He needs to be in a rehabilitation facility or perhaps a long-term care facility for others like him.”

Striker watched her carefully.
“Yer not like most girls.”

“
Thanks. I think.”

Two other chimps
appeared down the hallway and Lil Duke darted away from her, heading in their direction. She made no move to stop him. He was headed away from the gunfire so it seemed like the safest place for him.

Striker tapped her shoulder.
“They’re ready for us.”

“
Why are you my babysitter?”

“
Because I have the most charm,” he said without missing a beat.

They were all in serious trouble if Striker was their charmer.

He laughed and winked, motioning for her to come closer. She did and all of a sudden there was an explosion next to them. Striker dove to the ground, taking her with him, pining her down. He made an odd noise and jerked above her, never moving from her.

Everything seemed to rattle for a moment and Striker sounded very far away for a few seconds when she kn
ew he was actually on her. Then he wasn’t.

Duke was there, bending, yanking her up and shaking her lightly. His mouth was moving but she heard no sound.

“What?” she demanded.

“
Are you hurt?” he asked. This time she made out what he was saying. It was faint but there.

Whatever had happened had been loud enough to temporarily affect her hearing. She nodded and touched his forearm.
“Are all of you all right?”

“
Yes.” She stilled. “What was that?”

“
Boomer tried to access the next station’s scanners. It didn’t go well.”

She gasped.
“Is he hurt?”

“
He’s fine. Except for his pride. He still has all his fingers and toes. Win in my book. And this would be just one example of how he earned his nickname.”

A scowl moved over her face. Did the men have death wishes? Sh
e’d been very clear with them that she was the one needed to bypass the systems. She opened her mouth to say as much but Duke bent, kissing her silent.

“
I already yelled at him, Doc,” he said, grinning. “Now, we need your help.”

“
I’d say so,” she added with sass.

Duke put a hand out to Striker who was still lying on the floor, looking like he had the wind knocked out of him. Mercy glanced past him and noticed a door. One that wasn
’t hooked to a doorframe and also one that didn’t belong in the area. As she realized Striker had protected her with his body from getting hit with a flying door she bent fast, touching his arm.

“
You
are
charming.”

He laughed and then groaned, getting to his feet. He cracked his neck and stretched his arms above his head.
“That’ll get the blood pumpin’.”

She looked to Duke
, who was laughing.

The men were totally and completely hopeless.

In her attempts to stop madmen, she’d somehow been paired with a group of reckless immortals who would no doubt bring the entire building down on all of them if she didn’t supervise them closely. Suddenly, she felt a lot like a mother hen in charge of a shifter den.

And not one of them
knew how to listen worth a damn.

She eyed Duke and he blushed, shrugging as he did.
“What?” he demanded.

She scowl
ed. “Nothing. Try not to break anything.”

He pointed in
Boomer’s direction. “Hey, he broke it. Not me.”

Yep.
Children.

They moved with ease through the next level
, and when they were finally to Jimmy’s level, it stopped being easy. As they entered sub-level eleven, everything changed. One second she was standing and the next Duke had her pinned under his hard body, his cock digging into her low back.

“
Stay down,” he said, as a hail of gunfire went past them.

Boomer and Corbin w
ere up front, returning fire as Striker tossed a grenade. Mercy watched the events unfold from her position under Duke as if it were all happening in slow motion. Duke covered her ears with his hands and drew them both into a tighter ball. He protected her as the room rocked, heat licking past her.