Healed (The Found Book 3) (17 page)

“I think all of the above.”

“I think none of the above,” Kota said smoothly. “I’m not planning on cooperating. You don’t have a kid hanging over my head.”

“Not yet,” Stovers said just as smoothly.

“So we wait. In the meantime, you want me to cooperate. I want some concessions.”

Stovers laughed, and the two men in street clothes followed his lead.

Sarah was done, there was no point playing the amnesia card anymore. Hell, they were just going to put her in a straightjacket and try to raise her babies in a lab. Nate was out there coming for her. Now was the time to make her play.

“I’m with him. We’re in the driver’s seat. Fine you have muscle, but you say I’m the strongest healer you have. I remember healing this man. It was miraculous. You want me to do that again? Well, you better assure me I’m not going to be breeding some babies that are lab rats. I want to know what is going on with Maricel’s daughter. I want assurances the same thing won’t go on with my child.”

“It’s not your business,” Simms said.

“If it gets her to cooperate more easily tell her,” Stovers said.

“It’s complicated,” Simms tried to stall again.

“Tell her.”

“But…”

“Kathy, don’t make me repeat myself,” Stovers said angrily.

“Alma is Maricel’s baby. We used her egg and she carried her for eight months. We used the sperm of a man who showed signs of being able to heal. This was a trait reportedly passed down in his family.” She stopped talking and stared at the floor.

“That still doesn’t explain why Alma needs to live in a laboratory environment. What went wrong?” Sarah demanded. They’d need to know how to care for the child when they took her out of this damn place.

“Yeah, explain it to her. Preferably in words that actually make sense,” Stovers requested in a silky voice.

“Alma was a preemie, so of course our first protocol was to incubate her. But she ran too high a temperature, no matter what temp we had the incubator set. We thought she was running a fever and we treated for that. After weeks of treatment, we came to realize her normal body temperature is one hundred degrees.”

“That’s impossible,” Sarah said. “Something’s wrong.”

“We’ve had her in a normal atmosphere for over a year and she continues to run at that temp.”

“Okay, say that’s true. If that’s the only anomaly why does she need to live in the lab?” Sarah watched as Simms stared at the floor. She had a sinking feeling.

“When we didn’t know what was going on, we tried to regulate her temperature. We used a lot of medication on her. Because we thought she had an infection we gave her powerful antibiotics for months.”

“You killed her immune system. You killed the baby’s immune system, didn’t you? What else, that’s not all you did, is it?” Sarah kept pushing. Every one of her instincts on red alert.

“Yes, explain it to Dr. Johnson, explain what else you did, Simms,” Stovers said in a smug tone.

“Don’t act innocent Mr. Stovers, weren’t you in charge of this operation?” Sarah said looking at the vile man.

“I trust my employees, especially when they are scientists of Kathy Simms caliber. Kathy, explain the next problem to the good doctor.”

Kathy cleared her throat. “There was another anomaly we didn’t realize until she was five months old. It’s her hands, they seem to…”

“Speak up Kathy. We couldn’t hear you,” Stovers said.

“When Alma touches you, you weaken. It’s almost like we’ve bred the exact opposite of what we wanted. We’ve bred a monster, someone who can suck away someone’s life force.”

“Kathy, you say it like it’s a bad thing. She is going to be a fabulous weapon one day.” Thoughts tumbled through Sarah’s mind. It was possible. Hell, probable, that if she actually tried she could harm as easily as she healed. Maybe little Alma was doing something that came naturally to a healer.

“How do you feed her?”

“We have lead lined gloves.” Ah God, nobody was really holding and cuddling this child.

“You mean you’ve got her basically in a cage with no human contact?” Kota roared leaping towards Simms and Stovers. It took the orderly and the two other men to hold him back.

“We’re going to do it differently with you Dr. Johnson. We’re going to mix your egg with Chief Petty Officer Blackthorne’s sperm. This should stop all these nasty side effects. But if it doesn’t, at least you know we have protocols in place and we won’t be using all those antibiotics.” Stovers turned to the men holding Kota. “Take him to his room and strap him down. We’ll figure out a long term solution tomorrow.”

Sarah was keeping track of Kota’s hands and saw him hit his watch as they shoved his hands behind his back. It looked like he signaled Nate and the team. How were they going to handle getting Alma safely out of the facility? Hell, how the hell were they going to get all of them safely out of the facility?

Chapter Eleven

“You’re not going to get away with this you bastards.”

“I say we gag him after we strap him down.”

“Not only are you breeding women, you’re torturing sick babies.”

Everybody in the room looked at one another in shock at the transmission coming into them from Kota.

“All of your asses are going down. Your boss—that bitch Simms, those orderlies, and especially the two of you.”

“You and what army? Shut the fuck up you’re getting annoying.” There was the distinct sound of flesh meeting flesh.

“You like hitting a guy who’s tied up. Just like your boss enjoys hitting women.” Another thud of meaty flesh this time Kota let out a grunt.

Nate wanted Kota to keep his mouth shut, but he knew he was trying to get them information before breaking into the facility.

A door opened and then it sounded like a bag of potatoes hit a mattress. Kota must have been thrown onto the bed.

“So what’s your action in this little operation? You getting paid a lot?”

“More than the Navy pays you,” a man laughed.

“That woman who was the healer, the mother of the baby. Did you kidnap her too?”

“That was before my time. You’re talking too much. Vinnie, gag him, while I finish strapping him down.”

The transmission kept going, it was just the sound of the two men making mundane conversation and then leaving the room. After three minutes Randy, the Navy leader, Cyrus and Sierra all looked at Nate.

“We’re going in tonight,” Nate assured them.

“Thank God.”

“Sierra, I need you to figure out a neo-natal facility where we can take the baby. Preferably a military hospital that way we have less questions and more authority. If you can get it set up in time you can come on the mission otherwise you’ll be there to receive the baby when we’re done.” He watched as she wanted to disagree but thought better of it. He settled. She was the best one to coordinate it, and he was gratified she could see it.

“Randy, your team has gone over all the satellite pics and the blueprints. Are you comfortable with everything you’ve seen?”

“There are four guards posted outside. We’ve seen two guards changing shifts on the inside. As for personnel, it’s minimal. It looks like they have five nurses, three techs, and six orderlies. If we do this at night, only two nurses and two orderlies will be on site.”

“I don’t want any dead bodies. This is a civilian operation. I want everyone taken out alive. Is that doable?” Nate asked.

“It makes it tougher, but it’s definitely doable,” Randy said as he looked over the blueprints. “The guards are really sloppy.”

“Okay, we’re going in at three am, everybody get some rest. Sierra, see what you can do in the meantime.”

“Got it.”

***

Nate drove one of the trucks since he had experience in desert conditions. They stopped a mile away from the facility at their designated spot. Everyone was armed with weapons containing rubber bullets, as well as Tasers and guns with actual bullets. Just because Nate didn’t want civilian casualties, didn’t mean he wanted any of his men on the operation to die. He trusted every one of these men and women’s judgement.

Nate and Cyrus followed Randy and his people as they led the way towards the facility. They were able to easily take out the four guards with the rubber bullets.

At the side of the building, as the other three were being tied up, Nate helped to turn one over so he could be secured. He groaned. Nate shoved the taser under his neck, watching as his eyes got wide.

“No, please no.”

“Tell me what I want to know and I won’t make you piss yourself,” Nate gave the guard a disgusted look

“What? What do you want to know?”

“Who’s still in the building?” Randy stood over them, Nate’s knee pushed into the man’s soft belly.

“Two guards and three orderlies, those five are in charge. I’m pretty sure two nurses and that scientist Simms. Plus the patients.”

“How many patients?” Nate demanded, pushing the Taser harder against the fleshy part of the man’s chin.

“I don’t know they don’t tell me that. I just work outside. The guards who work inside know.”

“Gag and bag him.” Randy had the zip ties and gag ready, as Nate shoved him away and started heading for the side door. Cyrus and three of the Fallon team members were waiting for him.

“We have one more orderly on site and an additional scientist. Sounds like the orderlies act as guards too, consider them armed and dangerous.” They entered the side door to the stairway.

Cyrus took the first floor with Randy and three others, Nate took the second floor with four Fallon team members, and the others took the first floor. As soon as he opened the door, he heard all hell broke loose.

“Pin her down, dammit!” One of the doors at the end of hallway was open, and an orderly was running towards it. Nate motioned the team to stay put, wanting to see what was going on.

“I will shove it in her eye. You get me a phone right now,” Sarah yelled.

“Dr. Johnson, put down the needle, there is no way you’re getting a phone.”

“Give her a phone,” a woman screamed.

“Now,” Nate gave the order. He and the team left the stairwell, he had two follow him left towards Sarah’s room, the other two he told to go down the hall to the right. He heard the report of a gun to the right, and the sound of a body falling to the ground behind him, but knew it wouldn’t be heard above the yelling in Sarah’s room.

“Dr. Johnson, don’t make us hurt you,” one of the big orderlies said.

“No, Silas, don’t do anything. She’ll blind me.” The woman was sobbing.

Nate motioned for one of the men to go low and cross over the doorway. Slowly he peeked around the doorframe, and saw a mess. Sarah was on her knees with the nurse in front of her, a syringe held to her eye. The two orderlies were standing over her. One was ready to attack uncaring if the nurse was injured. Sarah saw it too, and she started to lower the needle.

Nate signaled the man on the other side of the door, and they rushed in, easily jerking the orderlies backwards so they didn’t fall onto the two women.

“Nate,” Sarah yelled.

“Bitch,” the nurse said as she struggled to get out of Sarah’s arms. Another team member had her face down and tied up as quickly as the orderlies.

Nate ensured his man was secured, and crouched in front of Sarah, pulling her into his arms. She was trembling and saying his name over and over again. He tried to think. There were others still needing to be rescued, but having her pressed against him made higher thought almost impossible.

“Angel. It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

“Nate, please say you’re really here.” He looked into her eyes, filled with tears.

“I’m here.”

“Chief, you stay here, we’re going to make sure the floor is cleared.” He nodded, unable to look away from Sarah.

****

He was here, she didn’t think it was a dream. She squeezed her arms around him as tightly as she could. The abrasion of his belt was hurting her stomach and she ground herself against it, reveling in the feel of it. It meant he was real, didn’t it? The sound of Helen sobbing meant it was real?

“Yes, it’s real, I’m here.” He hugged her tighter.

“We have to get Kota and Maricel.” She pushed against his chest to look into his face.

“I know Angel.”

She rested her head against his sweaty shirt and felt his heartbeat. “And the baby. There’s a baby.”

“I know, Sarah. We know. We’re going to get her.” He combed his fingers through her hair, tilting her head up. His lips surged down and demanded everything she had, telling her she was his. She got lost in the power, in the sweetness, in Nate. Unable to breathe, she subsisted on his taste and the tangle of his tongue thrusting inwards, nourishing everything inside of her, convincing her he was real and would never leave.

“Nate, gotta go man.” It was Kota. Nate lifted his head. God, everything she ever had and would ever wish for were in those hazel eyes.

“All clear?” Nate asked, holding her to his side as he turned to look over his teammate.

“Yes and no. All bogeys accounted for. We have a problem on the ground floor. The baby isn’t on the premises. Maricel is having a meltdown.”

“Fuck.” Sarah looked at Kota and his eyes were angry and anguished. “Let’s go.” Sarah looped her hand around Nate’s belt, but even though he walked slowly, she was in no shape to keep up. By the time they got to the stairwell she was shaking. She envied Kota who seemed to be doing so much better, even though he shouldn’t be.

“Up baby.” That was all the warning she got, before Nate had her in his arms. The other two men and Kota didn’t seem to think it was odd he was carrying her as if she were a child, or a damsel in distress, but hid her face in his neck. It was embarrassing she couldn’t even walk downstairs.

Nate’s neck smelled wonderful.

They arrived on the first floor.

“This way Chief,” a man said indicating double doors to the right. Someone held them open and Nate gently deposited her at one of the stools at a tall lab table. She would have gone to Maricel, but her whole body was trembling from exertion and Kota was already there quietly talking to her, his arm around her, Sarah couldn’t see what was going on, but it was clear the young woman was in pain.