Chasing Victory (The Winters Sisters) (18 page)

“Then how am I supposed to keep my sisters safe, baring working for that maniac,” she responded, the tears threatening to escape.

“Don’t worry. Even if the team can’t get to the bottom of the Kaleidoscope Group, we will make sure you and your sisters are taken care of.” A single tear trickled down her cheek; he reached out with his finger and wiped it away. Then he got to his feet and held his hands out to her. “Come on, we need to get back. I’m sure Max has the lab cleaned up by now.”

EIGHTEEN

The compound was quiet, except for the warm gentle breeze that was blowing in from the ocean, causing the palm trees to rustle in unison. The night was lit by the glow of a new moon. Not the optimal time to try to move through the compound without being seen, but Tristan had no other alternative. With the days counting down, it was imperative that he step up his recon, full moon or not. Victory was not pleased with the idea of him lurking through the camp, but he reassured her that this was what he did. It was a few minutes past midnight, and like the last time he was out at night the area was devoid of all the usual inhabitants that filled the paths and buildings during the day.

As he crossed the yard from the dorms he heard the sound of voices. He centered himself and honed in with his acute sense of smell. Tristan estimated the group was probably standing somewhere near Collin and Morgan’s building, inside the heightened security area. This meant they were clear across the compound. He could distinguish four others besides Max. He moved through the shadows to get closer to the group.

“Okay, I don’t want any more repeats of the other night,” Max snarled. “Neither Collin or Morgan are allowed out of their cells, got it? I don’t care if they want to stretch their legs. Whatever idiot lets them slip by him won’t live to regret it.”

Closing his eyes, slowing his breathing and listening, Tristan picked up no other scents or sounds of humans between him and Max’s little group. He opened his eyes, took one last look around, and shot off in the opposite direction heading to the main office.

Having observed Max’s routine over the past several nights, he knew he had at least an hour before the man would head towards his office and suite. At this time every night Max made a visit to one of the female employee’s bungalow. Tristan reached the target and surveyed the area surrounding it. No one was around and the office was dark, save for the insignificant glow of what looked like a small desk lamp. Tristan moved towards the building, carefully checking the perimeter. He found no motion or heat sensors, so he moved in closer and found two of the windows opened.

“Arrogant son of a bitch,” he murmured to himself. “He thinks no one has the balls to enter his domain. Let’s see what I can find, shall we?” Tristan pushed one window open enough for his body to clear it and slid through, closing the window behind him.

Standing in the office, out of reach of the glow of the desk lamp, he surveyed his environment. The office was neat, which surprised him. There was a four drawer file cabinet on one wall, two overstuffed chairs, a small table between them, and a large desk dominating one third of the room. He walked to the desk and clicked the mouse on the computer. To his astonishment the computer came awake showing an open file. “Dumb bastard.” He shook his head; this guy was really something, all the easier for him. The file seemed to be his daily report to Braxton and the Kaleidoscope Group. He read the screen.

“Have men under control, will not be allowed to roam loose in the outer jungle due to Collins’ unpredictable behavior. Morgan seems to be adapting. Winters made a connection with Morgan today. Believe research should move along quicker now that she has developed a rapport with him. Believe to still be on target with primary goal, to develop a serum to be sold, with the purpose of creating the perfect soldier.”

Tristan read through the passage again. It had been obvious from the start that this group was up to no good, but this was even worse than he expected. He spent the next ten minutes reviewing more of the reports. Then he pulled a small thumb drive from his back pocket and began copying all the files on the computer. While it was working he went over to the file cabinet, and pulled out the top drawer. He checked his watch, estimating that he had only about ten minutes until Max might return.

Tristan went back to the desk, reached into his pocket, pulled out what looked like a chap stick and rubbed it on the coffee cup that was sitting on the desk. A few seconds later a print of a finger and thumb appeared on the coating. When they had dried he peeled them both from the coffee cup and placed them inside a small Altoids tin. Then he pulled the thumb drive from the port, glanced at the door that lead to the suite, and begrudgingly headed back to the window where he had entered. He would have to save the suite for tomorrow night. As he was lowering the window to its original position he heard the click of a lock release. Damn, Max was early tonight. He pulled away from the window and vanished into the night.

Victory left her bedroom window open as Tristan had instructed. Using her window to leave and return made it appear to anyone monitoring the room that Tristan had once again spent the night.

“What did you find?” came a whisper from her bed.

“I thought you were sleeping. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said.

“No, I haven’t really been able to sleep, I’ve been dosing. I take it went okay since you are back in one piece. So, what did you find?”

He lay down on the bed next to her and relayed what he discovered.

“They want to use my research to create an army.” She was appalled. “I was doing this work for peaceful reasons, to improve the bond between humans and canines. My long term goal is to find possible combinations of DNA that will lead to curing diseases in humans and canines, not for destruction.”

“Unfortunately Victory, Braxton and the Kaleidoscope Group are only two, of thousands of demented individuals and groups that exploit well meaning research into something that they feel will financially benefit themselves,” Tristan responded.

“Why can’t they see the good that this could produce? It could be a way to improve people’s lives in the very near future,” she said.

“Because improving people’s lives won’t make them money now. The Kaleidoscope Group has no concern for the future, they want it now,” Tristan said.

“Seems to me that finding cures to cancer would be a profitable venture,” Victory said.

“Yes, someday. But that’s not what this group wants. Terrorism sells. They will take outstanding military personnel and others and make them indestructible killing machines. Create the prefect mercenaries. It gives people like Braxton a feeling of power, that’s what drives him.”

“I need to stop him. I can’t let him exploit my work,” she said with steel in her voice.

Tristan reached out and pulled her close to him tucking her shoulder under his arm. “There’s nothing more we can do tonight. We both need to get some sleep.” He leaned over her and kissed her lips lightly. Pulling away he looked into her face and was mesmerized by those bottomless jewel-green eyes. Claiming her lips once again he deepened the kiss, he ran his free hand lavishly down her silky neck. He continued down her body stopping as he gently molded her breast in his palm. Then he resumed his journey downward to the hem of her nightgown.

Skimming his palm back up her soft smooth leg, he lingered at her hip as he felt her heat for him increase. Tristan pulled the nightgown up over Victory’s head and lovingly gazed at her perfect body. “Maybe sleep can wait for a little awhile,” he murmured, his stare blazing a trail down her curves.

* * *

Victory found a cooler next to her computer when she came into the lab the next morning. It contained three vials of blood. She had a hunch that they were from Collin.

“This doesn’t look good,” Victory mumbled to herself as she stared into her microscope. Every time she introduced the wolf DNA to the spun down blood serum, it immediately began to attack and breakdown the human serum. After running this same test a number of times, she came to the conclusion that a person who lacked some type of heightened senses could not withstand this coupling. She must find a way to stop this breakdown or Collin would not survive. The only way for the process to be successful was to create some type of binder that could act as a bridge to join human and wolf DNA in harmony.

Victory finally looked up from her microscope. Putting her hands on her waist, she stretched the cramps from her back. “I feel like a cup of coffee, how about you?” she asked Tristan.

Tristan looked up from his computer. After spending the last two weeks with Victory almost twenty four hours a day, he was now able to read her demeanor; he knew something was troubling her. She was smiling slightly but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, those breathtaking jade jewels. There was sadness and concern in them along with paleness to her skin.

“Sure,” he commented lightly, “you know me, when do I ever turn down a cup of coffee.”

They both got up and headed for the door.

“How long are you two going to be gone?” Max grumbled from his permanent fixture on his chair in the corner of the lab.

“Thirty minutes or so, I thought we could take our coffee down to the beach and take a walk, I need to stretch my legs and clear my head,” Victory said casually.

“Don’t be gone any longer. Mr. Braxton is coming out to the island. He’s due early this evening and he is expecting great progress,” Max said.

“Great,” Victory mumbled.

“You say something?” Max asked.

“I said no problem,” Victory lied.

They picked up some coffee at the lone coffee stand along with a couple of cookies and headed toward the beach.

“Assuming that the blood that was left for me today is Collin’s, it’s not looking promising,” she began.

“So you have discovered something,” Tristan said.

“I’ve run the same test numerous times and gotten the same result. The foreign DNA attacks the human DNA, it breaks it down and destroys it.” She was feeling the pressure of failure. “I don’t know what to do Tristan. This is why research needs to be done one baby step at a time, each step is then tested and retested. This is a new dilemma for me. I have a person’s life depending on me finding a solution to this problem.”

“That sounds positive, you think there is a solution,” Tristan remarked.

“Maybe not the solution Braxton wants. But everything has a solution; it simply depends on how long you have to find it and if you are willing to keep on looking.” Victory answered, as she took a sip of her cooling latte.

“Based on your research today, how long does Collin have?”

“I don’t know. It depends on a multitude of factors.”

“Such as,” he prompted. He hoped that if he kept her talking and thinking she would eventually stumble on at least one path to follow.

“Such as, how much serum they injected into him. How long ago they injected him. I would have to back track and figure out what the percentage of serum is to the percentage of human DNA. These are the obvious factors,” she replied.

“Then you could possibly save Collin,” Tristan stated.

“Maybe, possibly. Depending on how fast I could find some answers. You heard Max, Braxton is coming in tonight. That’s a whole new set of circumstances; I have no idea what to tell him. There isn’t enough time. Research takes time, trial and error, you know that. And if Braxton even caught wind of the idea that my real focus is to try and help Collin, we would all be in trouble. He can’t find out that I am looking for a solution to this problem. We both know his only concern is super human soldiers.”

“You tell him the truth,” he answered.

“The truth! If I tell Braxton what I believe, he may feel Collin is expendable.” She responded, looking bewildered.

“I never said you tell him the whole truth. Look, Braxton is an astute man. He’s going to know if you are stalling or not. He’s knows your background Victory, he is aware how intelligent and diligent you are.”

“So what you are saying is?” Victory asked.

It still surprised him, for such an adept researcher she sure was naïve when it came to the ways of the world. “What I’m saying is you tell Braxton that there is a basic cellular change taking place, but you’re not sure what the outcome will be. Tell him the rate of change is different in each individual. Therefore if he has another person infused with the serum you need to study him or her,” Tristan prompted.

“Oh, now I get it. Give him enough information, but not so much that he has the answer,” she said excitedly.

“Exactly,” Tristan smiled at her. “Have an answer to everything he asks you, but only enough to convince him that you are making progress.”

“I can do that,” she said. “I’m so grateful to have you here with me Tristan. I wouldn’t be able to make it through if I didn’t have your help.” She couldn’t believe she was saying that. When had Tristan begun to matter to her? The thought sent tiny shivers down her back.

“Thanks, but don’t sell yourself short Victory. You can do anything you put your mind to, and you would survive this,” he said.

She flashed him a wicked little grin. “Maybe, but you are a great fringe benefit.” She reached down and took his hand.

He laughed. “It’s nice to know that I’m good for something.”

“You make a good assistant too,” she giggled.

“Come on. We need to get back before Max sends out a search party.”

* * *

Victory had been brilliant in her report to Braxton. If Tristan didn’t know different he would have believed her entire report.

“So, I know that the human DNA I was working with today was from a different person. To glean any real additional information, it would be extremely beneficial for me to study this individual directly,” Victory said, finishing out her hour-long report. She only hoped she sold her story to Braxton.

Braxton sat quietly, elbows on the arm of his chair, fingers steepled together. The room was shrouded in absolute silence. Victory could hear the pace of each individual’s breath, entering and exiting their lungs. A tiny sheen of moisture gathered on her upper lip. This was it, Braxton knew she had lied to him.