Edge of Betrayal (15 page)

“It would be if she cared about the well-being of those she sent to do her work. But she doesn’t. The men she employs are simply tools. If one gets broken, she’ll find or make another.”

“Are you sure?”

He went to the man and gently turned him onto his side enough to show Mira the surgical scar at the base of his skull—the same kind they’d seen before on Stynger’s subjects. “If she cared about what happened to this man, she wouldn’t have put a ticking time bomb filled with poison in his head.”

Mira sighed. “Once he’s stabilized, we’ll need to have him transferred to our surgeons so they can remove the implant. Maybe then he’ll talk.”

“It’s too late,” said Adam, as he felt for a pulse that wasn’t there. “He’s already dead.”

*   *   *

Lila hated improvising. There was no way to know if that little ball of paper she’d dropped in the man’s breathing tube would be big enough to block it, but she hoped so. If not, she’d have to find another way to kill him without raising suspicion.

He knew who she was. If he lived, he’d talk, and Lila couldn’t let that happen.

She went through a list of options in her mind as she revved up a new set of tears just in time for the paramedics. She held the door open and showed them to the conference room.

As soon as she heard them say he had no pulse, she scurried off, sobbing. She had too much to do to stand around and pretend to care what happened to a man too stupid to finish his job.

Dr. Stynger’s new right-hand man was going to be making contact at any minute, asking for a report. When he did, Lila was going to need to be ready with some options for making this right.

Otherwise, she was as good as the corpse in the conference room. And so was her baby boy.

S
ophie woke up with both arms attached to foreign objects. Her left arm had an IV tube sprouting from it, and her right hand was pinned in place by Riley’s strong grip.

He looked like he was praying.

The room had no windows. There was a counter, a sink, and a few plain, laminated cabinets along one wall. Overhead was the kind of drop ceiling often used in offices, but the fluorescent lights were off. A soft glow filtered out from an open door, where she could see a bathroom sink.

He must have realized she was awake. His bowed head lifted. “How are you feeling?”

Her mouth was dry and her head spun a bit, but she managed to push out a few words. He so looked like he needed reassurance. “Okay. What happened?”

Something shifted in his posture. He sat straighter, became more alert. “You don’t remember?” His voice was gentle, but his attitude told her that was bad.

“No. Did I hit my head?” No one spot hurt more than any other. She lifted the arm with the IV to feel for lumps, but Riley grabbed that hand, too.

“You were drugged. Dr. Vaughn found no injection sites, so she thought you might have ingested it.”

Ingested?
Drugged?

Sophie’s hand tightened around Riley’s as a spike of fear sped through her. She searched her memory for something that would explain her current state but came up empty. “The last thing I remember was driving to the office with you.”

He stroked her forehead. His voice went low and soothing. “It’s okay, honey. Don’t worry about it. Doc said you’re fine, and that’s all that matters.”

She felt okay. Groggy, but not sick. A little weak, maybe, but still herself. “Tell me what happened.”

He nodded slowly and pulled in a long breath. “I found the man trying to abduct you. I stopped him, but you were unconscious, so I brought you to see Dr. Vaughn.”

“Why abduct me?”

“There was no time to ask him.” Riley’s gaze slid past her to something on the far wall. “He didn’t survive.”

It was then she knew the truth. “You killed him.”

He looked at her once again, and she saw a strange combination of fury and regret in his eyes. “I did.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d killed to save her, but she was going to make sure that it was the last.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up, ignoring the flash of dizziness that assaulted her. “Where are my clothes?”

“You’re not going anywhere—not until all of that crap is flushed out of your system.”

“I’m not staying here.”

He surged to his feet, blocking her path to jump down from the bed. “The doc is in charge of how long you stay. And this time, I’m not leaving so you can sneak away.”

“Do I look like I’m trying to sneak? If you get out of my way, I’ll happily walk out while you watch.”

“No. We don’t yet know who did this to you. Or why.”

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he’s one of the guys Stynger was paying to get her hands on me. They know where I am now. I have no choice but to leave.”

“I can protect you.”

“Like you did at the office?” she asked, instantly regretting it as soon as she saw his face fall.

Her words had hurt him.

“Damn it, Riley. I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry.”

“No. It’s fair. I thought the office was safe. I was wrong. I won’t make the same mistake again.”

“There’s no way to stop them. The only chance I have is to run.”

He seemed to grow taller. His shoulders squared and his jaw set. He looked right into her eyes and said, “If you run, I’m going with you.”

“You can’t. You have family to take care of. A job.”

“My family will understand my need to see you safe. My job can go fuck itself.”

“You wouldn’t say that if Bella was standing here.”

“If you believe that, then you don’t know me at all.”

He was completely serious, standing there, ready and willing to leave everything behind just to make sure she was safe.

In that moment, she fell in love with him. All the way.

Sophie swallowed down the swell of emotion, hoping it didn’t touch her eyes. “I can’t let you give up your life for me.”

“Then stay. Let us work on getting you the life you deserve. Your new identity will be ready soon, along with a new job and a safe place you can call home.”

It was too good to be true, and Sophie knew from experience that anything that sounded that way was. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to leave him just yet. What harm would there be in sticking around for a few more days?

Whether she stayed here and took the new identity or ran off on her own, it was just a matter of time before Stynger’s men found her. And if she was going to die, she’d rather her last few days be spent with a man who proved that there were still decent human beings left on the planet.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll stay. But not here.”

A little smile of victory twitched at the corners of his mouth. “That’s fair. I’ll help you get dressed and take you home, but only if you promise to stay. Deal?” He held out his hand, waiting for her to shake.

She didn’t. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, reveling in the solid strength of his body. “Deal.”

*   *   *

Mira didn’t think this day could get any worse until she pulled up the video feed from Ruby Rypan’s apartment. It took her some time to figure out that all of her efforts to find out how Sophie’s attacker had gotten in were in vain. Whoever had orchestrated the event was either smarter or better equipped than she was. Maybe both.

By the time she’d finished her report on the incident for Bella and fought off the need to hide from her boss’s incoming wrath, it was well after quitting time. She fired up the video and settled in to watch.

Nothing happened in fast motion for a while, then Ruby got on the phone. Mira played the recording at normal speed, and what she heard made her want to puke.

Bella’s fury was no longer such a big deal.

Mira had no idea what to do with the information, but she knew better than to keep it to herself. Strangely, as she wandered the halls, trying to figure out how to proceed, she found herself standing outside Adam’s office door.

Since when did she trust him enough to tell him her secrets? Since when did she feel the need to turn to him in a time of crisis?

There was no time to figure it out before the door opened.

“I hadn’t knocked yet. How did you know I was here?”

“I saw a shadow under the door.”

“You notice things like that?”

“It’s how I stay alive, so yes.” He frowned as he looked down at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Who says anything is?”

“Your pulse, the reaction of your pupils, the flush in your cheeks, and the slight sheen of tears in your eyes.”

She’d never had anyone look at her that closely, and she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be flattered or creeped out that he paid so much attention to detail when it came to her. “Guess you got me.”

He stepped back to give her room to enter. “Come in. Tell me what’s happened.”

His office looked very close to the way it had when he’d moved in. The walls and carpet were gray. The metal desk was sturdy and designed to withstand at least a few rounds of small-caliber gunfire before it crumpled. On its surface was a short stack of folders, one of which was open. Next to it was a tablet computer.

There were no framed photos, no kids’ drawings. He didn’t even have a paperweight or coffee mug sitting around. Just like in his home, there was nothing here to give away anything about the man who spent his time here.

For some reason, Mira missed that glimpse inside—that little hint as to what made Adam Brink tick.

She sat at the small round table that filled one half of his office. The whiteboard above the table was completely bare, as if he needed no space for planning or reminders.

The office door closed with a small click, and suddenly, Mira became aware of just how alone they were in here.

Amazingly, she felt no fear—only a slight buzz of heightened awareness as Adam closed the distance between them and sat across from her.

He said nothing, just sat there, waiting for her to tell him in her own time. There was no anxiousness about him, no impatience. He appeared to be ready to sit there all night if that’s what it took.

Mira folded her hands and gathered her resolve. “I really don’t want anyone to know what I’m going to tell you, but the information is too dangerous for me to keep it to myself.”

“And you came to me?” Curiosity, but no judgment.

“You’re my partner. It seemed like the thing to do.”

“I’m honored.”

“Don’t be. All I’m doing is giving you a burden.”

“My shoulders are broad and my arms are strong. I can handle it.”

He could, too. Maybe that’s why she ended up here, instead of with Payton or one of the others. Adam seemed to be able to deal with anything that came his way, and if someone had to act on the information she was about to give him, better Adam than someone who cared about her.

Mira drew in a bracing breath. “Apparently, I’m a ticking time bomb.”

He didn’t react. His face was just as smooth and impassive as it had been a second ago. “You’re going to need to explain a bit more.”

“I was watching the video feed from Ruby’s place. I know now why Stynger hasn’t come after me the way she has the others on the List.”

“I assumed it was because she knew you were too skilled and well armed to be an easy target.”

“I wish. More like she doesn’t have to bother. I have an expiration date.”

“I don’t understand.”

“My dad, the kind and loving soul that he is, put a clock on me. Guess if I don’t hear him utter a specific phrase every few months, I’m programmed to kill myself.”

Adam fell silent, but the look of fury on his face was so intense, she swore she could feel the heat of it hit her across the table. “I will not allow that to happen.”

“I’m on board with that, but how do you plan to stop it?”

“I’m taking you to see your father tonight. He’ll give us this phrase and tell us how to fix you, or I will torture him until he does.”

He was completely serious. In fact, so serious, he was already on his feet, moving like he was preparing to go right this minute.

“You can’t
make
my father do anything. Believe me—many people have tried.”

“Has anyone tried removing parts of his body an inch at a time?”

Mira’s stomach heaved at the mental image that created. “No.”

“Then we still have some avenues to investigate.”

“You can’t be serious,” she said. “There’s no way Payton’s going to let you march in and cut my dad to bits.”

“I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t offer to help.”

Adam headed toward the door. Mira grabbed his arm. “I didn’t tell you this so you’d kill him.”

He turned and faced her, looking more than a bit intimidating from his impressive height. “Then why did you?”

“Because I needed someone to keep an eye on me. If I started acting strange, I needed to know that someone would take me out before I could hurt anyone else.”

He looked stunned, blinking several times before he could speak. “You came to me because you thought I’d kill you?”

“There’s no way to know if I might be programmed to hurt others before I take myself out. I thought you would get that.”

“I understand the concept on an intellectual level, but what I don’t understand is why you’d come to me.”

“You’re logical. You do what you think needs to be done, even if it’s abhorrent.”

“I promised I’d never hurt you again. It’s clear to me now how little my word means to you.”

“Are you saying I told the wrong person?” she asked,
unsure if she should be pissed or relieved that he refused to agree to kill her.

“I’m saying that the person I am and the person you believe I am are two different people. Now, are you coming with me to see your father, or should I have Payton arrange for you to have the cell next to his for your own protection?”

A
dam was furious.

Mira actually thought he would agree to kill her? Did she have no clue how protective he felt toward her? How far he’d go to ensure her safety?

Apparently, their relationship boundaries were a bit unclear to her. Which wasn’t entirely her fault, as they weren’t completely clear to him, either.

As they rode to meet their armed military escort—courtesy of Payton—Adam forced himself to calm down. Compartmentalize. Shove his feelings in a box where they would wait for him to sort out later.

Mira sat beside him in the backseat, completely silent. Payton drove, glancing back at them in the rearview mirror every few seconds.

“What’s up with you two?” he asked.

“Nothing,” snapped Mira. “We’re doing what you want, so just leave it alone.”

Adam refused to stay silent. “Mira is upset because she found out that her father made sure she wouldn’t outlive him by long.”

Mira punched his leg and shot him a poisoned stare.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” asked Payton.

Adam relayed the information to Payton, leaving nothing out.

By the time he was done, Mira was no longer looking at him. “Way to keep a secret, partner.”

Payton glanced in the mirror. “That’s not the kind of secret anyone should keep, Mira. And you know it.”

“She thinks I’ll kill her if she starts showing signs of cracking.”

“Not if I kill you first,” she said under her breath.

“Adam’s right. You don’t get to keep this kind of thing from us. Now that we know, we can deal with it.”

“Oh, I’m going to deal with it, all right. Just put me in a room with Dad and lock the door.”

Mira talked big, but Adam doubted she’d be able to follow through. Her heart was far too tender. It was one of the things he admired about her. “You know that won’t work. There’s no way of knowing if he can hurt you with just a few words—if he can activate some dormant program he imprinted in your mind when you were a kid.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away. Her position wasn’t enough to hide the way her shoulders trembled or the slight change in her breathing as she fought off a sob.

Adam’s heart—such as it was—broke for her. No one as brilliant and sweet as she was should have to suffer the way she did now.

“We’re almost there,” said Payton. “Take the drugs.”

Adam and she had been forced to agree to a certain protocol meant to hide the location of the facility where Dr. Sage and several others were kept. One of the requirements was that they be drugged unconscious so there was no way for them to track where they were going. All electronics stayed behind. They were stripped, dressed in clothes provided for them, and searched for any kind of tracking or surveillance devices.

It didn’t make Adam happy, but he knew that cooperation was his only option.

He opened the case and took out the syringe with the smaller dose. “Here,” he said as he handed it toward Mira.

She shook her head. “I can’t do it. Needles wig me out.”

Probably because she’d been subjected to more than her fair share as a child.

“Will you let me?” he asked.

She nodded, pushed up her sleeve, and looked away. Adam carefully disinfected her skin and did the job as fast as he could. She slumped before he finished pushing the plunger.

Rather than shove the rest of the drug into her, he blocked Payton’s view with his body enough to hide his hand for a second. He shoved the needle through the seat fabric and wasted the remains of the drug in the cushion.

“Your turn,” said Payton.

Adam heard the sound of a helicopter in the distance. Up ahead, he could see the lights of a helo pad surrounded by armed guards. They were out in the middle of nowhere, and the only choice now was to do as he was ordered.

He injected himself.

When he woke, he was lying on a narrow bed. There were three more beds in the room, and one of them had rumpled covers about the same size as Mira.

Two armed men stood outside a steel door with a reinforced glass panel. Payton was with them and saw Adam was awake.

He pushed a button activating an intercom that piped his voice in through the wall. “You good?”

Adam ignored the question. “Where’s Mira?”

“We woke her up a while ago.”

“Why?”

“I wasn’t sure how you’d react to what needed to be done. You’ve seemed a bit too close to her.”

“What, exactly, did you do with her?”

“She’s safe. She’s on her way to see her father now.”

Her father? The man who might be able to order her to kill herself with a single word?

All that rage Adam had boxed away came flying out. He hit the window in front of Payton with his fists, hard enough to shake the glass. “You let her near that bastard without backup?”

“See? This is why I didn’t wake you first.”

“Let me out of here right now. Someone needs to be with her to ensure her safety.”

“I’ve got men on it. She’s as safe as she can be.”

“Why are you doing this? I thought you cared for her.”

“I do. I also care about all the other people Sage has hurt. The only way to find them is to find his files, find out where all his labs are, and destroy every one of them so that nothing remains but rubble.”

“What can Mira possibly do to help you with that?”

“Sage promised to talk to her and only her. He gets what he wants, and we get what we want.”

Adam pounded on the door again, converting some of his helpless rage to blunt force. “You can’t use her like that.”

“It’s already done.”

“When I get out of here, you and I are going to discuss this further.”

Payton shook his head. “When it’s over, you’ll see I was right. It’s the only way.”

“If Mira gets hurt—”

“No need for threats. If that girl gets hurt because of my decision, you won’t have to lift your trigger finger. I’ll do the job myself.”

*   *   *

Mira walked down the corridor with one armed guard leading the way and one on her tail. Neither man looked at her as they escorted her to the room where her father
was waiting. She wasn’t sure if it was their training or if they didn’t want to associate more than necessary with the spawn of an evil man.

The guard in front opened a solid metal door for her to enter. She walked into a large room that was equipped with a small table and two chairs. A pitcher of water and a pair of clean glasses sat waiting for use. The chairs faced each other. On the far side of the room was a large mirror that took up half of one wall.

She looked up at the guard. “Where’s Dr. Sage?”

“Have a seat, ma’am,” was all he said.

Mira did as she was told. The guard shut the door, and she heard the distinct sound of a lock being bolted into place.

Now that she was sitting, she saw two cameras mounted in plain sight. Her guess was there were more than those that she couldn’t see.

No light shone in through the window. As she sat there, growing more nervous by the second, she realized what was going to happen next.

The door was going to open. Her father would walk in. Sit down on the far side of the table. She’d be able to see him. Touch him.

He wasn’t dead.

Mira sloshed some water into the glass and clutched it in both hands. Trembling rings rippled the surface of the water, giving away just how much this meeting affected her.

She wished Adam were here. As crazy as it sounded, she would have felt better knowing he had her back. He was stronger than her father and just as cunning. He could think like Dad and had a better chance of seeing the blows coming than she did.

When it came to her father, she’d always had a wide blind spot.

She had almost talked herself into asking for Adam to be brought in when the lock moved. The door opened.

And there was her father.

Shock hit her hard enough to rattle the breath in her lungs. She’d known he was alive, but until this moment, she hadn’t actually believed it. Even though the man standing there looked nothing like the man she remembered.

His beard had grown out, as had his hair. His usual clean-cut look was replaced by a shaggy, unkempt appearance. The bright orange jumpsuit he wore made him look pallid. It hung on his frame, showing just how much weight he’d lost. A few old bruises colored his face, but the look in his eyes was not one of an old, feeble, conquered man.

He was furious. Determined. Scheming.

Mira’s chair screeched as she reeled back from the man who’d tried to ruin her life.

Sage smiled. “Good to see you, dear. You look well.”

She tried to cover her dismay with spite. “You don’t. You look old. Used up.”

“Orange isn’t my color.”

The guard walked him to the chair across from hers and pushed him down into it. She recognized the soldier as one of the men who’d arrived to clean up on the night her father had shot her. He had a hard, cold edge to him that silently screamed
badass
.

He stayed right next to Sage—well within striking distance.

Slowly, some of Mira’s anxiety trickled away. The brittle feeling in her muscles faded, allowing more room for her to pull in oxygen.

“Tell me the phrase,” she ordered her father.

He frowned, doing a great job of pretending that he didn’t understand. “What phrase?”

“The one that keeps me alive. The one that deactivates whatever fucked-up programming you shoved in my head.”

He stared at her, his eyes so like hers it made her want
to claw them out. “You think that kind of information is something I’d give away for nothing?”

Another small part of her died in that instant. She’d thought he’d already hurt her as much as possible, but she’d been wrong. That he would treat her life as a bargaining chip hurt. Bad.

She tried to hide her flinch but wasn’t sure she’d pulled it off. The spark of excitement in his eyes told her he’d seen something—smelled blood and wanted more.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“Release, of course, but I’m not stupid enough to think that’s possible. I do, however, believe I at least deserve a more comfortable cell in exchange for my cooperation.”

“Throw in the location of every one of your labs, and I’ll see what I can do.”

He eased back in his chair, the perfect image of a man in his element. “I did promise that if you came to see me, I’d tell you the truth. I’m a man of my word—”

Mira snorted. “Fucking liar.”

He gave her a paternal frown of disappointment. “Language, Mira. Really. I taught you better.”

She gave him a sweet smile. “You tried to teach me a lot of things, like how to inflict pain. How to treat people as disposable objects. How to suffer in silence. Guess you failed on all accounts, you motherfucking asshole. Now tell me,
where are the other labs
?”

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away.

“Really?” she said. “You’re going to try to punish me with the silent treatment? Do I look like I’m four?”

He said nothing.

Mira shrugged. “Fine. Keep your secrets. Whatever time I have left, I’ll enjoy every second of it thinking about how you’re rotting away in here. Just know that there will be no more visits from me—no more reason for them to stop beating on you to give the bruises time to heal.”

Sage paled. She’d hit a mark. Despite his mental
cunning and power, he was an old man and had the body of one. Whatever torture they subjected him to, it must have been enough to scare him.

“Don’t go,” he said. “I’ll tell you what you want to know. Just get them to promise not to hurt me anymore.”

“I have no authority to make them promise anything. Your only chance is to do the right thing and take away their reason for torturing you. Tell them what they want to know, and they won’t have to hurt you anymore.”

He looked at the floor. His voice was small. Weak. “There is no phrase.”

“What?”

“Whoever told you that I programmed you is wrong. Even if I’d wanted to do it, you were never susceptible to that kind of conditioning. Your mind was always too strong for that. I made sure of it so you couldn’t be used against me.”

“But you tried.”

He looked at her, and for the first time in her life, she saw regret in his eyes. “I did. I’m sorry.”

He held out his gnarled hand to her.

How many times had she dreamt of this? How many times had she prayed for her father to turn himself around and do the right thing?

She couldn’t count that high. And now, staring into the face of the thing she wanted most, she cracked. Weakened.

Mira put her hand in his.

Sage jerked her out of her chair and across the table. Her chair hit the far wall hard enough to shatter. Her legs flew out, slamming into the guard next to her father. The guard toppled over just as she slammed into her father’s chest.

By the time she realized what had happened, she was being held against his body, serving as a human shield. He had some kind of sharp point digging into her throat.

The guard regained his feet and pulled his weapon.

“I will kill her,” said Sage.

Whatever hope had sprouted in Mira’s chest, it died a swift, painful death. Of course her father had no intention to repent. Of course he would use her to get what he wanted. He always had.

Whatever the guard saw in her father’s face made him lower his gun. “There’s no way out. This whole place is secure.”

“If they want her alive, they’ll clear a path.”

“Don’t listen to him,” said Mira. “It’s obvious he lacks the ability to tell the truth.”

“The truth is I’ll kill her if they make me.”

She didn’t doubt that for a second.

The door opened, revealing several more armed soldiers. Sage shifted her body to cover his own. He inched along the wall toward the door. “Let me pass.”

None of the men so much as flinched.

“Shoot him,” she said.

“They’ll hit you,” said the guard to her right.

“I’ve been shot before. I’ll deal. Just pull the trigger.”

Another voice boomed from down the hall. “Let him go.”

Payton. He’d given that order.

“I will not risk Mira’s safety. Let the man pass.”