Project: Rogue (Project Series Book 2) (6 page)

M
aggie

P
eople changed
. It was the never-ending fact of life. Those that were your friends today could become your enemies tomorrow and I was starting to realize that. Memories were hitting me more and more, every night when my head hit the pillow I was forced to watch a movie play out in my mind of things that I never experienced or remember doing. Still, I could feel it in my bones that the person I was watching was truly myself.

“Is it not bullshit that to get a hot meal around here you have to get up before ten am?” Rambo asked, startling me right out of my skin. Had I been that engrossed in my own thoughts that I hadn’t realized someone had sat down in front of me and started talking.

“Not really,” I responded, taking a bite of my sandwich. Outside of Killer I had started to meet others, pushing myself out of my comfort zone so that I could get to know what the Project society was about. Which is where Rambo came in. We met in the dining hall one evening, and seemed to get along from that day forward.

Rambo was a big man standing at close to six feet two inches and weighing in at over two hundred and fifty pounds. To many, I’m sure he seemed like a scary dude, but to me, he was just a big teddy bear.

“Seriously?” Rambo questioned.

“Yes seriously, most of everyone here seems to be up and moving at the ass crack of dawn. You’re the only one I’ve met that hates getting up in the morning, aside from myself.” I smiled sincerely, happy to be out of my own mind and finally talking to someone who didn’t have any relation to what was going on in my life.

Rambo smiled back, revealing straight white teeth. He was attractive looking with his boyish grin and soft eyes the color of coffee. I’m sure he would make someone out in society a very happy woman one day.

“That’s just it, I don’t get how I fit in here.” He joked, taking a bite out of his PB & J. I laughed quietly under my breath because I’m sure he knew how he fit in here. We all knew how we fit in here. We were fucked up, that’s how.

“If you don’t know how you fit in here, then that’s probably why you’re here.” I finished my sandwich and wiped away the crumbs of bread that were sitting on my black training shirt.

“Smart ass. I completely understand why Killer is in love with you.” His words caused my eyes to lift to his. Killer’s name was always associated with mine in this place. I couldn’t go anywhere without someone assuming he was looming right behind me.

“Why is that?” I was curious what people thought our relationship was all about. Most had no idea how we came to meeting one another. How I had tried to protect him for years, as we grew up, and how he tried to force me away until the day they took him away and told me he died. The painful memory still stung and pulled on the tender strings of my heart. I had Killer now, but it wasn’t without fight and loss.

Aside from Killer and I knowing each other only the people that ran the Brotherhood got the files on each person that was brought in, or at least that’s what I was told.

Rambo rolled his eyes and smiled before speaking, “You’re funny as hell. Beautiful, and you deal with the shit in this place like you have been doing it all your life. Killer should know how good he has it, having you I mean because if you were mine…” The color of his cheeks took on a red hue as his confession came out. “If you were mine I wouldn’t let you go a day without knowing how much I cherished you.”

The way Rambo talked about Killer made my chest ache. Not because of what he said, but more so because of the way his emotions came out when he was saying them. Rambo knew the love Killer and I shared was a once in a lifetime kind of thing. Even we knew that, so why were we still playing around this thing between us like it was a cat and mouse game I had no idea.

“Thanks, Rambo,” I said overwhelmed with emotion. I could feel tears on the verge of spilling over, but pushed them away as I got up from the table. I didn’t want to make myself look weak. I couldn’t, it would be the easiest way for someone to put a knife in my back.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. You know I wouldn’t cross that line, Maggie.” Rambo interjected, placing his hand on my own and stopping me from going any further. I looked down at his hand on my own, wishing that it was Killer’s hand comforting me right now.

“No, no. It’s okay, Ram.” I assured him, grabbing my tray with one hand and pulling the other away from his touch. The coffee coloring of his eyes grew darker and I was afraid he had taken things the wrong way.

“If you say so. I don’t need Killer coming for my blood.” This time, it was my turn to roll my eyes. The testosterone in this place and the fact that I was the only female caused fights left and right. Mainly for Killer because he felt he needed to protect me every chance he got. What these men didn’t realize was I could protect myself if need be. I had been doing it my whole life against a different kind of evil than the one I was now facing.

“If Killer comes to you, let me know.” I shot over my shoulder at him, catching the sincere worry in his eyes just as I walked out of the room. I took the stairs to the training arena, needing a little time to myself to think. This entire place was overwhelming on my senses, not to mention when your mind was nothing but a jigsaw puzzle it left a lot of blanks in the places you needed information the most. I was starting to think my whole life was a puzzle, with pieces thrown all over the place in every single direction. I had no idea what was going on with my father, what happened back at the cabin, and now that I was changing, evolving into one of the Brotherhood men there would be things that came along with it that I didn’t understand. Killing triggered the serum inside of me. I was perfect until I killed someone. Until there blood coated my hands.

Then there was my relationship with Killer on top of all of that. Now I had to wonder what was going on with him and going through his head when we weren’t together since Ty had changed my trainer. I shook all the jitters off as my foot hit the landing. I knew there was nothing I could do and that I needed to be here to learn what it was that I was made for.

Deep down even if I didn’t want to admit it, I could feel the differences between Killer and I more and more, where as I said before that I couldn’t. Killer was made for something entirely different than I was.

“I hope you have come to see me.” Ty’s voice rang out above the shouts and echoes bouncing off the walls in the arena. He had a group of men surrounding him, most of them looked at me and dismissed me as if I was nothing more than a woman in a place where men only belonged.

The place was bustling, sweat dripping off of almost everyone as I laid my bag on the ground near one of the benches. Usually when Killer and I trained there was no one in here, or there were at least fewer people around to see me get my ass kicked. Either way, it was never this chaotic.

“If it was an option to be down here, I wouldn’t be.” I rolled my eyes. I was already kind of having a shitty day after dealing with Rambo and the fact that Killer had left this morning before I even woke up. I still hadn’t talked to him yet today and that alone caused anxiety deep within me.

“
S
ee
, that’s what I like about you.” He laughed, his eyes twinkling. I had failed to see this side of Ty in all the time that I had been here, the side that laughed freely as if he was actually happy.

“From the way you usually act, I would have never thought that you liked me.” I raised an eyebrow challenging him to tell me if he really hated me or not. For some reason I was curious.

“Liking you and tolerating you sometimes are two very different things.” Ty smiled. Why was he being so coy? Just yesterday he made it seemed like he would rather throw lighter fluid on me if I was burning to death than water. Something had to be up.

Ty covered the distance between us, his massive form eating up the steps like they were nothing. I glanced up looking at his previously bald head which now had a small dusting of dark brown hair on it. My own eyes trailed down to meet his dark brown ones; brooding, and still somewhat captivating as they always seemed to be peering deeply into my soul. I knew he was doing nothing but judging me, though, taking in all my flaws.

I didn’t choose this life. I didn’t think anyone here would choose this life. In the end, we were all meant to be dead. It was like a walking, talking graveyard.

“Today we aren’t training, Maggie. Today, we get to know one another.” Ty’s hand landed against my arm. His touch was surprisingly warm, instead of cold like I assumed it would be. My eyes dropped down to where he held my arm, and then back up to his impassive face.

“If we aren’t training then I have no reason to be here.” I glared. I had given him the benefit of the doubt and been nice when I could’ve and had the very right to be a bitch to him even more so after everything he did yesterday. Ty leaned into my face again, his eyes telling me that questions were forming in his mind.

“There are a couple things that we need to discuss and privately.” His fingers sank into my skin, a warning behind his touch. It all but said if you don’t go you will face the consequences.

“Anything you need to discuss with me can be discussed right here.” I didn’t want to be pushed around, nor did I want any of these people in here to think they could do it either. I pursed my lips waiting for what I said to sink into his thick skull. When acceptance didn’t cross his face, I tried to pull my arm out of his grip but his hand refused to let go, instead, it tightened around my forearm.

“When I said it was something we needed to discuss I meant it was about you. About what you’re going to become, and about finding your father.” Ty’s voice was strong and stern as if he was talking to a child that was unable to handle listening to him.

My ears perked up at the words of finding my father, surely he understood that I wanted nothing more than to find him. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was some type of ploy to make things neutral between us.

“Five minutes. That’s it!” I glared. Ty removed his hand with a smirk, throwing his arm out as if to show me the way out. I nodded and followed behind him, grabbing my bag from the floor by the bench. We walked silently beside one another down the hallway to an area that I had never been in before. The walls were painted a light brown that almost made up for the lack of nature that we didn’t get to see around here. Every ten feet there seemed to be a door off to each side of us, at the very end of the hall was where we stopped. Ty pulled out a key card and slid it through the gray card reader, then he opened the door and ushered me in.

I took in the whole room with one sweeping glance. It was his office, that much I knew. Small knickknacks sat on his desk, and a large window that showed the great outdoors was on the far wall allowing plenty of light in.

“It’s such a shame that a sour ass like you gets such a beautiful view.” I snickered. Did I actually say that out loud? I placed myself in one of the dark red chairs in front of his desk, just as he closed the door behind us.

Ty cleared his throat, “Thanks, I guess.” I shifted in my seat, this was a whole different side of him than I was used too. I didn’t know if I should be staying or running.

“What do you want?” I asked deadpanned.

“Your father is alive. We have word on it.” Ty answered, without a blink of his eyes. He knew I would want to know, and I did. Guilt consumed me every time I thought about my father, it was like a wound being rubbed over after it had little time to heal. Small pieces of my flesh would flake away and blood would drip from the wound. My father saved Killer and me only to have been taken by the monsters and Roger at PGI.

“What do you want me to do?” I choked out. Ty uncrossed his arms, his eyes became soft, and in the lighting, he almost looked like a normal man.

“Nothing. There isn’t shit that can be done at this point. A plan to get him out alive has to be devised. I got word from an ex-FBI agent this morning that is on our side. You have to understand that he probably won’t be the same person he was by the time we get to him.”

“You act like I never expected this to be traumatizing for him!” I raised my voice. I didn’t like being accused of shit or treated like a toddler.

Ty rolled his eyes before speaking, “I didn’t say that. I also didn’t accuse you of anything. I just wanted you to know.”

“Thanks, can I go now. I feel a bit degraded now.” I confessed.

“No. There is more. I need to know if you remember anything, anything at all that pertains back to when you were found at the cabin?” He asked, his jaw tense. I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what he wanted with that information. It was obvious that coming down here had been a mistake.

“Truthfully, I have no idea. No recollection of anything that happened. I don’t remember how we got out of there.” I answered honestly. I could tell by the wide-eyed look on his face that he didn’t believe me.

“Okay, what about Killer then?” I didn’t want to go down this road. Killer and I hadn’t talked about the cabin in weeks. Last time we spoke he didn’t remember anything, things could’ve changed by now, but technically who knew.

“Leave Killer out of this.” I warned.

“Killer knows more than he leads on Maggie. If he knew something wouldn’t you want to know?” Ty tried to put me against Killer, which just added fuel to fire.

“If he knew something he would’ve already told me by now!” I seethed, angry that he was all but accusing Killer of lying to me. I might not have told Killer about the memories that were assaulting me, but I was sure he wasn’t keeping things from me. I pushed from the chair, grabbing my bag. Ty didn’t even try to stop me as I headed towards the door to leave. Instead, he had a mocking look on his face, a grin that said he knew something I didn’t.

“He’s not being honest with you, Maggie and if you think he is, why don’t you ask him the truth about you and me…” The question hung in the air between the two of us. Worry formed in the pit of my stomach and rose up into my throat. I wasn’t sure what I would do or how I would react if Killer was really lying to me.