Tempting the Fire (25 page)

He slid out of the office, didn’t materialize until he was back in his room.

Sat for a few minutes on his bunk and thought about what he could do to prove himself—and fast.

Your flight to the Amazon leaves in two hours.

Yes, and Gabe would find a way to be on it.

142

When Logan surfaced, he found himself faceup, strapped to a table in the command tent, the familiar panic welling inside his chest. His father and Dr. Ives were next to him.

“Logan, you’re okay,” his father said. “We’ve given you a mild sedative and we’re repairing your arm.”

“Turn off the fucking light.” He put up his free hand to shield his eyes until the overhead lamp was angled away. He kept his hand there, his mind racing as his dad asked, “Who are the two women?”

He remembered feeling faint, remembered getting extremely paranoid …

ordering Sela and Marlena contained.

It’s for their safety, and for ours, he reassured himself. Sela knew enough now to really do some damage to the company if she wanted to.

He had to find out who she was really working for. Who’d trained her to fight. What she’d shown him in the jungle, those weren’t simple reactions that could be explained away by her childhood and other traumas. Those moves weren’t taught in self-defense classes.

She’d been trained by someone in Special Ops. During her truth-telling session, she’d conveniently left that part out. Finally he answered his father. “We came across them in the jungle. Sela’s a cryptozoologist.”

“Who just happened to be in this jungle looking for a chupacabra?” his father asked.

Logan ground his teeth, irritated by his father’s sarcasm. “I took precautions by bringing them to camp.”

“And now she knows about the bioware. Who does she work for?”

“I don’t know,” Logan growled, and his father snorted. “Don’t give me shit, Dad. You don’t have the right to get on any kind of fucking high horse right now.”

His father held up both hands in a sign of surrender, and why the hell was the room spinning? “What exactly did you give me?”

“Just something to calm you down, to take the edge off,” the doctor explained, looking up from where he was starting work on Logan’s arm. Fuck it all, those meds hit him too hard most of the time. He hated the fuzzy feeling around the edges of the still human half of his brain. If it weren’t for the bioware portion, he’d be a drooling mess on the table.

A hand—his father’s—came down on Logan’s good arm.

“Logan, you’re going to be just fine.”

“Is Chance?”

His father didn’t answer at first, and then, “I wanted to help out. Itor’s been 143

putting pressure on the company to get the chupacabra recaptured quickly.”

“And what? You’d give them Chance instead to appease them?” he asked, and his father didn’t deny it. “Chance is a SEAL. Just like I was. How could you do that to him? He’s still a man.”

“Logan, you don’t understand.”

“Damned straight I don’t. What, I’m not enough of an experiment for you?”

Logan saw his father wince, and he hated the satisfaction that settled in his own gut.

Not your fault—it’s the wound.

Indeed, his arm was twisted at an awkward angle, wires exposed as the surgeon worked. They’d pumped him full of the familiar black sludge, but with opened skin, he was bleeding it out faster than they could give it to him. “Why are you really here?” Logan demanded.

His father looked pained. “It’s about Caroline.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t want to … I thought I could take care of it before you had to know.”

It was only sheer will that kept Logan flat on his back on the table. “Tell.

Me.”

“Itor has her.”

Suddenly, it all made sense. His father might have questionable values and standards, but he couldn’t imagine he would’ve morphed into such a monster that he would perform horrifying experiments on an innocent man.

But for his daughter … “When? How?”

“They took her from college on Friday—they told her they were from GWC. They said you were hurt.”

Of course Caroline would go without question. Shit. “What are their terms?”

“If they don’t have the chupacabra within a week, they’ll—”

“Don’t say it.” Logan rubbed his forehead with his free hand. Contracted by Itor, GWC had been studying the chupacabra’s weapons potential, but when Itor changed the game and insisted on being given the animal, GWC’s shareholders panicked. The weapons potential the creature represented could bring billions of dollars into the company. Its loss was not an option. Logan’s father had figured if GWC could find another chupacabra and start a breeding program, they’d be able to give Itor one of the creatures, and problem solved. Richard had taken a gamble by sending a team back to the Amazon with the animal, hoping the creature would attract another, but when the chupacabra had escaped two weeks into the mission, clearly Itor’s patience had run out.

Fuck. “How much longer do I fucking have to lie here?”

“Another few hours, at least.” The doctor barely looked up from the delicate repair, and Logan sighed in frustration. He tried not to let the bitterness overwhelm him, but then he thought about Caroline … and Sela, who was pissed 144

at him, no doubt.

Logan’s father rubbed the back of his neck. “When they took her—

threatened her—I thought about Chance. A trade. I ordered the tests to make sure he possessed the qualities of the original animal, so Itor would be satisfied. You have to understand,” he pleaded, and Logan tried to forget the way Chance had looked, lying on that floor, holding Marlena.

Because, unfortunately, Logan did understand. “That’s still no reason to torture an innocent man. We’ll get Caroline away from Itor.”

“How? You’re no closer to recapturing the chupacabra than you were a month ago. And now you’ve got two women here who could be spies from a competitor or the government—and one of them knows about you, what you are.”

“What the hell am I, Dad?” he asked, his voice low, and dangerous enough that the doctor froze.

His father had once been SAS—the British Secret Service. He understood what Logan had been through in the military. When Logan was younger, he’d wanted nothing more than to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Now he was sickened that he almost had. Logan didn’t wait for his father to respond to a question no one knew the answer to. “What does Itor know about Chance?”

His father’s hesitation told Logan all he needed to know. Itor knew all about Chance, that he could change into a chupacabra. Which made him very valuable to Itor.

Chance’s life was now in danger in more ways than one. Most of all, he’d become a prisoner in his own body. And, as Logan glanced at his arm, he felt the pressure of that knowledge settle over him like a lead weight.

“THAT BASTARD.” SELA PACED THE LENGTH OF LOGAN’S

PERSONAL tent while Marlena stood near the entrance, arms crossed over her chest and just as pissed. Fortunately, she hadn’t fought being taken away from Chance. She’d been smart enough to realize that if she caused a scene, Chance would freak and Logan’s men would be forced to sedate him. Or worse.

As Sela passed by, Marlena grabbed her arm and spun her around. “What the hell is going on? What happened while you two were in the jungle? Didn’t you

—?” She cut herself off before she said it and risked the men waiting outside overhearing.

Didn’t you seduce him?

“Of course I did,” Sela snapped. “Don’t fucking blame me for this. I know what I’m doing, and I’ve been doing it for a hell of a lot longer than you have.”

Marlena’s chin came up so she was looking down her perfect nose at Sela.

“Then why are we locked up and under guard?”

“Because Logan is an asshole. He betrayed me.” Sela almost laughed. Here she was, all indignant because he’d betrayed her, when she was the one who had 145

been deceitful all along.

Instead of letting out the bitter laugh condensing in her chest, she jerked away from the other woman and took a deep, calming breath. Fighting with her partner was counterproductive, especially when there was an element of truth to what Marlena had said.

Sela had failed. She’d gotten very little usable intel from Logan, and she apparently hadn’t gotten close enough to him to make him trust her. Either that, or he suspected she wasn’t who she said she was. Maybe both. In any case, she’d fucked up.

Guilt tore through her, a big, knotted jumble of it. She’d let herself get too close to Logan, which had compromised her mission and failed ACRO. And she’d been lying to Logan, which hadn’t been a problem at first, but she’d stopped seeing him as a bad guy at some point, and now … well, she actually felt bad about deceiving him.

Except that she was also furious at him for locking her up.

“I’m sorry,” Marlena said quietly. “I realize this isn’t your fault. I’m just worried about Chance.”

“I know.” She knew, because despite her fury, Sela was just as worried about Logan. He hadn’t looked good for a couple of hours, and then, right before he’d given the order to have her and Marlena put under house arrest, he’d gone as white as a sheet and started swaying. And as she and Marlena were escorted away, he’d collapsed.

Sela had tried to run back to him, but she’d been restrained and he’d been surrounded by doctors, and there had been nothing for her to do but bitch and curse as she was herded to the tent.

Marlena sank down on Logan’s cot and looked longingly at the bottle of Scotch on the table. “Did you learn anything?”

Sighing, Sela sat next to her so they could speak in a whisper. “Logan is half machine. His company developed the hardware for soldiers or something, and he’s the prototype.”

“Oh.” Marlena looked taken aback. The woman whose boyfriend was a fucking chupacabra.

“It isn’t like he’s the Terminator or anything. But I can’t read him, and I think that’s why. Part of his brain is a hard drive.”

Marlena looked even more surprised—not terrified, but now Sela understood why Logan was so defensive about his condition, if this was what he was used to dealing with. Shame washed over her; had he seen the same expression on her face when he told her the truth?

Shit. She didn’t want to talk about this. “Did you get anything from Chance, or the staff?”

“Not much,” Marlena admitted. “They took him. Experimented on him or something.” Her voice hitched, and Sela decided she didn’t want the gory details.

“I don’t think they were doing it to help him.”

146

Sela nodded. “Logan wouldn’t tell me what the company plans to do with the chupacabra once they catch it, but given what GWC does, they’ll probably want to use it as a weapon, and I’ll bet Itor’s involved. He said it would be dangerous for me to know too much.”

“Bastards,” Marlena spat.

“GWC or Itor?” Sela dug the scales and blood-covered leaf from her pocket and set them on the table. They might not have gotten the chupacabra, but these were still amazing samples and would be worth their weight in gold at the Crypto lab. She also needed to get hold of all of GWC’s research on the chupacabra they’d had in captivity, as well as all medical records pertaining to Chance.

“Both.” Marlena clenched her fists at her sides, her gaze sharp and fierce. “I want Logan and his damned company to pay for what they’ve done to Chance.”

A protective instinct reared up in Sela from out of nowhere. “Logan isn’t responsible for Chance being attacked or experimented on.” Not directly, anyway.

Sela was sure of it.

“Oh, my God,” Marlena whispered. “You’ve fallen for him.”

Sela’s heart clenched as Marlena’s words sank in. Because yes, she’d fallen for him, and that could only lead to disaster.

147

The gynecologist appointment was a disaster. Dr. Davies had confirmed Annika’s pregnancy, and had also shared her concerns about Annika losing her power.

“I can’t predict exactly what will happen if you go through with this pregnancy,” Davies said. “Almost every woman with special abilities experiences changes. Some lose their abilities completely and never get them back, others see a slight increase in power that lasts even after the birth.”

The idea that Annika could lose her powers forever made her break out in a cold sweat. “When?” she rasped. “When will these changes happen?”

The doctor shifted her stethoscope as if she was nervous. “Again, it varies.

Some start seeing changes at conception. With others, it happens in the second or third trimester. And it can be gradual or sudden.”

“That is not a helpful answer,” Annika snapped.

And then she’d made sure Davies understood that she’d learn themeaning of hell if she spoke a word about her pregnancy to anyone, including Dev.

She’d left the office, only to get a call from the director of the Training division with details about her new duties.

Despite being thoroughly pissed off, she was heading to Dev’s office to apologize to him. Probably not the best idea, given her mood, but she couldn’t wait another minute. She hated fighting with him, and their argument kept playing over and over in her head, hijacking her appetite, her sleep, her mind.

Annika stormed into the outer office, where Christine was sitting at the desk, her puffy eyes and sullen expression saying she’d had a recent cry. Maybe she was pregnant too.

“Is Dev in?”

“Yes, but he’s busy with someone.”

“Who?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

Annika slammed her palms on the desktop. “Tell me or I’ll shock you into next week.”

Christine swallowed. “Creed.”

“Thank you.” Annika smiled. “Now, in the future, when someone asks you what I asked you, tell them, ‘I’m not at liberty to say, but you’re free to have a seat and see who leaves.’ And if they threaten you like I did, push that little button under the desk. Dev will come out and kick their ass.”

Christine returned the smile. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Annika turned away just as Dev’s door opened and Creed 148

walked out.

“Hey, babe,” he said, and pulled her into his arms. “If you’re here to apologize, it might not be the best time.”