Dawn Endeavor 4: Gunnar's Game (16 page)

“When those rogues shot me, it broke his hold over me. Melissa escaped, Morgan was shot, and I started to understand I'd been played for a fool.”

“Why not explain the situation to us?” Jules asked.

“Mrs. Sharpe wasn't happy, and when she's not happy, she's scary. The woman planned on isolating me until she pulled the whole truth of my presence here. But I couldn't wait.” Jack turned to Ava. “Grayson contacted me a while back. He helped me avoid Mrs. Sharpe long enough to learn a few things. Together, we've been working to uncover Anderson's involvement in it all.”

“Grayson's been captured.” Gunnar tossed the information out.

“Shit. You sure?” Jack rubbed his hand over his eyes. “More mess we don't need.”

Ava felt bad for him. “He'll be okay. Grayson told me they're holding him in a place Melissa knows about. A place she thinks of as her personal fortress away from home that she calls her playhouse. If you can find her, we'll get him out. I called Anderson a few days ago looking for Grayson, so he knows we know my brother is missing.

“According to the information Grayson sent me, Anderson is using the psychic shielders of the PWP on a special project, so our attempts at astral projection and remote viewing to find Grayson haven't turned up squat. The PWP guys think they're holding the bad guy at bay, but they're actually working
for
the bad guy.” Jack lit up with a fierce energy that put Ava and the Circs on guard. Weird shadows flickered over his skin, like stripes almost. Then they vanished as if they'd never been. “I know where she is.”

Admiral London nodded. “If anyone can do it, Jack can. He was gifted before he joined the PWP. I'm sorry my people are being used against us right now, but they're actually quite a boon to our government. Folks like Jack have been around for a while, working for me.”

“Like Keegan Price?” Gunnar wanted to know, his gaze hard on Ava.

She forced herself to pretend a calm she didn't feel. Oh boy. She hadn't wanted to explain her past in detail just yet.

Lonnie glanced from Gunnar to her and back. “Keegan Price is one of my best men. He worked with Ava a while back, but that information is classified. Sorry, Gunnar.”

“Me too. Because I'm not buying any of this shit.”

“It's true.” Jesse sighed. “All of it. He and Jack might be trying to bullshit us, but they can't hide their thoughts for long. As it is, the admiral is starting to worry that he hasn't found Mrs. Sharpe yet. Jack can't stop thinking about wrapping his hands around Melissa's neck and squeezing.”

Everyone studied Jack.

“I was married to her for a year, except I wasn't. Can you blame me for wanting payback?”

Jules grunted. “Not really. She fucked with the wrong woman when she messed with Sheridan.”

“Try being forced to acknowledge a tie to a woman you know you don't love.

You don't understand why you can't leave. You don't want her, but you can't help yourself. And she's sick. Really, really twisted in ways you can't imagine.” Jack's harsh whisper disturbed her. What had Melissa done to him?

Jesse frowned. “But why stay? Was her hold on you that strong?”

“You're not listening to what he said.” Lonnie shook his head. “It wasn't Melissa. She's a shielder as well as a telekinetic with advanced ability. But it's
her
Lonnie—Robert Anderson—who's the master at work. As I understand it, when he met with Jack weekly, he took bits of old memory while shoving new memories down his throat. After a while, he burned out Jack's ability to protect himself.”

“Wow, Jack. I'm sorry.” Ava commiserated. “I can see why you want to get even.”

“Not get even, get justice. Anderson and Melissa hurt a lot of people.” His eyes darkened. “She especially deserves what's coming to her.”

Gunnar nodded. “Yeah. Because of her, Montaña hurt Ava and nearly killed Jules.”

“No. She had little to do with Montaña. That was Anderson's doing,” Jack explained. “He used Montaña to manufacture that drug to take out the PWP

because they were starting to detect a traitor in their midst. Him.” Jack's eyes flashed. “But then he realized the drug had potential. It wouldn't hurt the Circs, and it made some of them psychic. He's been farming out rogue Circs to foreign countries since the projects started.”

“Where's he getting them?” Jules asked.

“From a lot of different places. Delancey and Montaña were just two of his sources. There are more. But now that we know who he is, we just need to know where to strike next to take him down. I'm going after Melissa. I'll send Grayson back in one piece.”

“Jack,” the admiral tried.

“I'll do it. No one else needs to die for my stupidity.” Ava thought he was being a bit hard on himself. But then another problem presented itself.

A hard female voice yelled from just beyond the conference room. “Ava!” She paled. “Oh shit. Grandma's back. And she's pissed! We need to get Lonnie out of here, ASAP.”

Before anyone could move, the door to the conference room burst open, knocking Gunnar back a step. Instead of her petite grandmother, a raging beast with snout, snarl, and fangs hurled herself inside like the Big Bad Wolf.

“He's innocent, Grandma.” Ava made the mistake of stepping between her grandmother and Lonnie.

The eight-feet-tall monster that used to be a tiny woman slapped her across the face and into a nearby wall.

Gunnar roared, his voice deepened, and chaos reigned as everyone tried to calm a transforming berserker and Ava's furry, clawed grandmother.

“Down, Tersch,” Jules commanded. “I'll handle this.” Fallon attempted to soothe Alicia. “Easy, Mrs. Sharpe. Let's talk about this.

Lonnie's innocent.”

“Lies,” her grandmother rasped. Talk about a berserker. Her grandmother, when
changed
, normally appeared like Ava's beast. A slightly larger version of herself with claws, fangs, and incredibly enhanced agility and strength that appeared like a hazy film of savagery over her human frame. But unlike Ava, Alicia had another level of beast, an angrier, deadlier version that rarely appeared. Her grandmother's angry intensity rivaled Gunnar's berserker.

Ava blinked, and as the room came back into focus, she saw Gunnar in front of her. No longer a beast, now the berserker had come to play. Hell. His black, white, and blue striated eyes fixed on her grandmother, who had yet to look away from Lonnie.

Lonnie, to Ava's surprise, didn't back down. He yelled back at Alicia, “How could you think I'd turn against you? After everything we've been through? You could honestly think I'd try to hurt you?”

Alicia lifted him by his throat and shoved him up against a wall.

“Do it, then. Cut me in half,” he dared her, shaken, distressed. “There's nothing for me without you, Alicia.”

Her grandmother paused and loosened her hand, dropping Lonnie to the ground.

Gunnar charged.

“No, stop!” Ava stumbled to her feet and
changed
. She noticed Jack slip out the door and watched as Jesse and Jules rescued Lonnie. Jesse raced outside with the admiral, taking him to safety.

Jules turned to confront Gunnar, but Ava held him back.

“Just go. Let me handle this, okay? For Gunnar's sake, please don't.” Jules looked from her to Gunnar. Then he nodded. “I'll stay out of the way, but I'm not leaving.” He posted himself at the door.

“All that talk about patience and trust,” Gunnar's berserker roared at her grandmother. “You tell me to trust you. To trust my gut, that my past doesn't matter. Love wins in the end. And you slap your own granddaughter away like a fly on the wall?”

Nimble and fast, Alicia slashed at his gut and darted away from his instinctive return blow. “Stay out of this.”

“No.” Before Gunnar could launch himself at her grandmother, Ava inserted herself between them. To Alicia she warned, “Leave my mate alone.” Alicia paused. “Mate?”

“He's mine.”

“She's mine,” Gunnar parroted.

Her grandmother cocked her head and sniffed. “Not yet.” Gunnar raged. “She's mine!”

“Then why haven't you claimed her?” Alicia snorted. “Pitiful. At least I marked the man I loved. Had the sense to make sure everyone knew he was mine.” Her grandmother raged again, and red points of fury dotted her eyes. “Until he turned on me!”

“Shit,” Ava murmured and gripped Tersch's large hand behind her. She was more concerned with her grandmother than with the berserker. Something wasn't right. Alicia Sharpe knew better than to condemn a man without undue proof, despite the vision she and Kisho had seen. What else did the woman know that they didn't? Ava opened her mouth to ask when her grandmother flew into action.

Alicia struck out. But before Ava could move on her own, Gunnar jerked her back and planted his body in her grandmother's way. Her claws bounced off Gunnar's hardened skin. He didn't backhand her or slap her away. Instead he stood still, waiting.

Alicia swung again and again. Gunnar remained, buffering Ava from harm while refusing to strike back. Blood trailed down his flesh, his wounds inflicted by Alicia's lethal claws.

“Enough,” he snapped when she geared up to attack again. “You nearly killed Admiral London, and you strike out at me? I thought you loved him. All that bullshit about resolving conflict and keeping a level head I've had to listen to for a fucking year. I was finally starting to believe you. And now this? What the fuck are you doing, Alicia? This isn't you.”

Ava stared at Gunnar in shock. He sounded unbelievably rational, considering he'd transformed into his wildest and most uncontrollable state.

Her grandmother trembled and blinked rapidly.

Jules approached, looking small next to Alicia and Gunnar. He frowned and murmured, “Her aura isn't right. She's dimmer than she normally is.” In a louder voice, he said, “Anderson is the guilty party. Jack and Fallon confirmed it just before you arrived. Apparently Anderson's been pulling the strings from DC, and he's psychic.”

“With mad skills,” Ava added, suddenly understanding a bit more. “Just his touch convinced Jack that he'd married Melissa. I bet Anderson's been tainting you every time you've met.”

Alicia stilled. Her eyes flashed, but less with rage than comprehension.

Jules nodded. “That would explain her aura. I don't always look with my inner sense, so it would have been easy to miss her fluctuations before.” He turned back to Alicia. “Anderson's full name is Robert Leonard Anderson.”

“I know that,” Alicia snapped, though she sounded more together than she'd been before. “I thoroughly investigate everyone I work with.” Almost to herself, she added, “But a psychic? I never realized.”

As the team watched, she began to shrink. “Lonnie could be short for Leonard, I suppose.” She continued to grow smaller and less hairy. A haze of light made it hard to see her, and then, in the blink of an eye, she was once again dressed in a business suit, her pearls just so, her hair perfectly in place. Yet the air of sorrow around her couldn't be missed. “Anderson's been manipulating me the whole time, hasn't he? Him and his wealth of psychics. Whenever I'd get too close to discovering the truth, he'd announce the need for an unscheduled visit, a fiscal issue, manpower problems, some concocted reason to see me in person.” Ava and Jules shared a glance. “Yes.”

Controlled rage replaced the look of sorrow in Alicia's dark brown eyes. “Well then, someone has a date with the devil, I think.” She drew in a deep breath and faced Ava and Gunnar once more. “I apologize for striking out, Ava. I would never intentionally hurt you, dear. I lost myself a bit there. And I don't like when that happens.”

“It's okay, Grandma.” Ava watched her grandmother carefully as the older woman approached. Gunnar stood stiff, but he allowed Alicia to hug Ava tight.

Already Ava's bruises healed, courtesy of Circ genes.

Alicia faced Gunnar. “Gunnar, honestly, if you want to hold on to Ava, you're going to have to fully claim her, and don't pretend you don't know what I mean.” His berserker would have to claim her—Ava and he both knew it.

Gunnar growled low in his throat. “I won't hurt her.” Jules sighed. “No, you won't. We've been telling you that for months.” But Alicia wasn't done. “Otherwise, Keegan might think he still has a chance.

They dated briefly a few years ago, you know.”

Ava gritted her teeth. Blasted woman! The growling behind her grew louder.

Great.

Jules raised his brows. “Well, on that note, I think I'll join you, Mrs. Sharpe.

You and the admiral have some talking to do, and we seem to have lost Jack again.

I'll get with Fallon and find him.”

Alicia tucked her hand in the crook of his arm, the way Ava had walked with Gunnar just a few days ago. “Good, good. We need to get back to normal. This is all so embarrassing.”

“Love usually is,” he answered.

Alicia smiled, looking much more like her typical, vivacious self. “Did I frighten you when I
changed?”

“About wet myself, thanks.”

She laughed, and Ava breathed a sigh of relief. Gunnar's growls grew louder.

“Keegan fucking Price?” Gunnar's whisper simultaneously scared and aroused Ava. Because his voice didn't sound human at all. She'd been waiting for him, but until now, she'd been the one doing the chasing. She'd been in charge. If she truly accepted Gunnar, she'd have to relinquish control and trust him.

When Jules and Alicia reached the doorway, Jules stopped. “Maybe I should stay.” He cast a wary eye at Gunnar, who was practically frothing at the mouth as he stalked Ava.

Alicia chuckled. “You trust him, Jules. Remember that. My, I haven't
changed
in months. That felt more than good. Gunnar, not too rough. Remember, she'll be the mother of your children some day.”

“Sooner than later.” Gunnar tossed several chairs aside. He threw one so hard, it hit the wall and crumpled in on itself. “Payback's a bitch, Ava.”

“They'll be fine, dear.” Alicia tugged Jules with her. “Trust me. Trust Gunnar.” Jules stared at Ava's grandmother for a moment. “You're back, golden all over.” He looked over at Ava and Gunnar and sighed. “Be gentle with him, Ava,” he teased and shut the door behind him when he and Alicia left.