HeatedMatch (20 page)

He frowned and lowered his glass. “Often, but not this time.
Chase’s attack caught us completely off guard. Shep and Keel think I’m the best
person for the job.”

“Can’t Gavin or Xander take care of it?” She’d met both men,
and they seemed more than capable of handling any task.

He shifted on the countertop and stared at a point behind
her when he answered. “Xander is coming along, but my particular analytical
ability is needed in this situation. If there is a leak in our organization or
a connection between the fertility clinic and the Christenson kidnapping, I’ll
be the fastest to see it.”

She opened her mouth to argue then stopped. What was she
doing? She’d lived on her own for years and never begged a man for anything.
She was coming dangerously close to it now. “Okay. Fine. See you when you get
back.” She hopped off the counter and carried her cup to the sink to rinse it
out.

“Loren, stop. Don’t shut me out. I’m not leaving until
tomorrow night.” His voice carried a tone that hinted at what he wanted to do
during his twenty-odd hours until he left.

She smiled with her back to him and continued rinsing out
her mug. Her swipes with the sponge became less hurried and more languorous.
She felt rather than heard him come up from behind to turn the spigot off.
Together, their hands guided the mug to the bottom of the sink basin. His lips
nibbled a path from her earlobe down her neck to her exposed shoulder, and his
hands came around her front. One palmed her nipples and the other ran a finger
around the vee in her crotch.

“Mmmm.” She arched her butt into his growing erection, which
prodded her rear. At that moment, she wanted to take her man standing up in the
kitchen. “Will you miss me?” she asked as his hands caressed key parts of her
body.

His hands froze in place and she could feel him pulling
away, both physically and emotionally. “Don’t do that, Loren. We had a great
night, but nothing’s changed. I can’t be the man you want.”

She spun to glare at him. “Who is this mythical man you
think I want so badly? I don’t want you to father a dozen kids on me. At this
moment in time, I want
you
, your body, your company. That’s it.”

He scowled and looked as if he were going to argue again,
but all at once an image of her parents embracing, and her mom peering out the
window as Dad drove away on one of his many overseas trips, entered her memory
bank.

Adam’s job spelled danger. For him, a trip meant intrigue
and backstabbing, not boondoggles at fancy restaurants and linen-sheeted
hotels. She didn’t want to pick a fight if he were leaving in twenty hours. She
stepped closer for a passionate kiss. When she finally pulled back, she
whispered, “If you won’t say it, I will. I’ll miss you.”
I love you
remained locked away for now.

He didn’t respond and simply nodded then stepped back. “Come
on. I have to go pack.” He turned and headed out of the kitchen.

Loren stared after him. She watched his back for a few more
seconds until he turned with a devastatingly warm grin. “I’ll miss you too.”

* * * * *

“Blacker. Adam Blacker.” Keel glanced around the parking
lot, confident no other drivers recognized him. His sunglasses and Orioles hat
disguised his features even more.

“Excellent.” Paulson’s voice oozed pleasure at the news
another test subject was coming his way.

As for him, he was thrilled it was Adam he was handing over
to Paulson. Blacker was too damn smart and suspicious of him. After his scare
with all three Blacker men, he needed to remove Adam. Once Adam’s mind cleared
of his lust for Loren Stanton, he was sure to discover his financial misdeeds
toward his family. Then there’d be trouble.

“Will you be taking a blood test, or will more be involved?”
he asked, hoping he wouldn’t have to spell his wishes outright, but he wanted
Blacker to disappear.

“Hmm, Keel. Do I hear anticipation in your voice? Are you
hoping this Blacker doesn’t return to Beltsville?”

“It would make my life easier,” he admitted. Shep had
originally planned to send Gavin to London, but he’d convinced him Adam would
be better suited to weed out Chase’s attacker and look into the fertility
clinic. “You’ve got the flight info? They’re sending Xander on a private plane.
Blacker will actually be on United flight 958 getting into Heathrow tomorrow.
Only insiders know that information. Get this job done right.”

“Don’t order me around, Keel. You should see your money
tomorrow evening if all goes as planned and Adam Blacker will be my permanent
guest.”

Dear William,

I think Adam lost his virginity last night. He thinks I
don’t know, but I still remember what it sounds like when two bodies lay
together on an old sofa. Part of me is sad he lost his innocence to a girl who
is not his destiny and part of me is thrilled to pieces. He won’t be bound by
the same rules that governed us when you took my virginity on an old couch. Not
if I can help it.

Diane

First Choice Fertility Clinic, just outside London

Today couldn’t be his day to die. He always expected death
on the job, but damn it, Adam refused to accept it now that someone waited for
him back home. Loren’s soft, loving eyes swept into his mind and he closed his
eyes to relive his last moments with her.

Things had gone according to plan at first. He’d exited his
plane at Heathrow with no issues, got the rental car and headed to the hotel.
Step three was where things went to hell in the proverbial hand basket. He’d
slid his card key into his hotel room door, entered, and something stabbed him
in the side, knocking him out nearly at once. Hard. When he’d come to, he’d
been trussed, lying on a gurney totally nude in what looked like an operating
room.

His abduction only confirmed his suspicion there was a
traitor in his circle. The question now was who on the team of insiders knew
he’d ditched the private jet with Xander to fly economy on United to Heathrow?
None of those guys were stupid. They obviously didn’t expect him to return
alive to squeal so they’d felt comfortable selling him out.

Fuck.

His wrists and ankles chafed badly by the unworn leather
locked around them, but it didn’t stop him from struggling against them. He
planned to go down fighting. Maybe he’d die also, but he’d take as many of his
unknown enemies with him. They had to unlock him sometime, if only to let him
go to the bathroom. Then again, he was naked so perhaps they didn’t care what
he did about his bodily functions.

“He’s awake.” A gigantic, apelike man in a fancy suit with a
navy striped tie, said. A thick North London accent made a mockery of the
smooth power-player image.

Adam eyed the stranger, choosing to remain silent and see
what came his way. Another man, also in a suit, but with a red tie came over to
stand above him.

His attackers may have been twins, since Adam could barely
distinguish them apart other than their clothes. They each stood over six feet
four inches with hands the size and approximate shape of baseball mitts. They
didn’t relate to each other like brothers, but then, both did little more than
grunt.

They could be the same crew who attacked Chase, but Chase
hadn’t mentioned Bond Street dressers or North London accents. But then, he’d
been attacked from behind and may have been out before catching or hearing a
glimpse of his attackers.

He waited for them to speak, but Red Tie left the room,
mentioning something about a doctor. “Don’t see what the big deal is.” Striped
Tie grinned down at him with an overly long look at his exposed genitals.

Adam gazed back at the stranger, trying to show no fear or
annoyance at being exposed like this.

“Where am I?” Adam strived for a conversational tone. If he
thought showing fear or anger would’ve accomplished anything, he would’ve done
it, but the suited men seemed like bullies and would get their rocks off on
Adam’s fear.

“Shut yer mouf.”

His question earned him a jab in the side above his hip.
Adam vowed to sever the man’s spine as soon as the opportunity presented
itself.
Keep calm. Stay alive long enough to create an opportunity.
He
studied his surroundings, no detail too small for his trained eye. Two doors.
One was the exit, the other was likely the bathroom.Shep had demanded
every operative be trained relentlessly for a hostage situation, so that SOP
became rote. Adam remembered bitching and moaning about sleeping on cold
concrete floors tied in ropes, but now he was grateful for every second he’d
rehearsed. By pretending his current situation was nothing more than a dress
rehearsal, he felt a miniscule glimmer of hope he’d be back in Beltsville in
bed with Loren by the end of the week. It was enough to keep him fighting.

Adam turned his head as best he could when the door opened
and a woman in scrubs entered the room. Unexpected, to say the least. Extreme
fear pulsed in his gut. A medical professional could do a lot of damage and
still keep him alive to feel every bit of pain. A minute later, the door opened
again and Red Tie entered, escorting an older man. The doctor and the suited
apes he could take out no problem, but attacking a senior citizen was like
hitting a woman or a puppy. But he knew treachery came in all shapes, sizes and
ages. This old man could be the most dangerous of all, despite his fragile
appearance.

Red Tie escorted the man to a plush chair that was pulled
from a corner and assisted him down. Then Red Tie took up the position on the
side of the armchair as a sentry.

“Soldier.” The old man acknowledged him with an inclined
head and a modicum of respect.

Adam raised a brow and waited.

“Have you figured out why you’re here yet?” the old man
asked.

Adam stared. Give nothing away, not even his panic about
what torture they had on the agenda.

“What do you think of my creations? Your brethren?” The old
man gestured to his sides at his guards.

Adam allowed one eye to flicker at the two ape sentries.
Brethren?
He channeled Chase’s bravado and insouciance from across the pond.“They
seem fine. It’ll be a shame when I kill them,” he drawled, trying to relax back
on the hospital bed as if he’d been interrupted from nap time.

The old man scowled and Red Tie took a step toward him. He’d
poked a hot spot.

“Don’t mock them, they are stronger then you’ll ever be. My
science was always more advanced than Rovinsky’s pursuit of ethical humanity.”

Adam forced himself to take a breath, though it took every
ounce of discipline not to shout at the old man and demand answers. “You
mentioned Doctor Rovinsky’s name, so I assume you know who and what I am.” He
forced his tone to be even and calm, but shock penetrated every pore as
recognition dawned. The old man had to be Doctor Paulson, cofounder of the
Program. Rumor had it he was an unethical megalomaniac, but then, history was
written by the winners.

“I see you’ve figured out who I am,” Doctor Paulson told
him.

Adam gave a slight nod. What in hell could Doctor Paulson
want with him? He could think of only a few possibilities, none of them good.
He struggled against the restraints at his wrists and ankles even harder. “How
did you know I was going to be in London?” Adam asked, dying to know who’d
ratted him out.

“Easy.” The doctor shrugged. “We have our resources, but
they’ve been loyal to us, so we’ll show our spy the same courtesy. I suppose we
can tell you where you are, since you’ll never be leaving. I brought you to my
fertility clinic, because I need your help. All these years I’ve watched Doctor
Rovinsky’s creations perform missions without failure. Certain organizations
have as well. The Program was the worst-kept secret in the circles your
government labels terrorists. Those organizations wanted their own enhanced
soldiers and they came to me, but time and again, my creations displayed
appalling deficits in creative thinking and had a tendency toward being sociopaths.
They were un-trainable and unsellable. I now know, and am ashamed to admit that
my former colleague, Rovinsky, was right. Children need parents, and I give
them parents. For the recommended first year anyway.”

Horror filled Adam as he processed Paulson’s words. It was
worse than any scenario he could’ve imagined. Talk about sociopath. Paulson was
creating an army and selling it to the highest bidder, not to mention, ripping
apart families. The idea of terrorist groups owning genetically enhanced
soldiers sent a shock wave of panic through him. He had to get out of here.
Shep needed to know. Hell, the president needed to know. For a horrible minute,
his highly functioning brain froze, but he forced a breath and concentrated on
the shortest path to escape. “Why am I here?” he asked conversationally.
“Sounds like you’ve got a system down since you’ve got Ambassador Christenson’s
kid, right?”

Paulson didn’t confirm or deny Adam’s suspicion about
Christenson’s son. “Our last sperm donor was too weak. The results were subpar.
Your sperm will be strong enough.”

He forgot about the restraints for one blinding moment and
tried to sit up, only to get about an inch off the table.

“There’s no need to panic,” Paulson said. “We’ll try to make
it as pleasurable as possible.”

“You can’t force me.” He struggled to shout over his
tightening lungs.

Paulson slowly gained his feet and approached the table. “I
think you’ll find we can, Mr. Blacker.” He turned to the woman in the lab coat
and murmured something to her that Adam couldn’t catch. Then Paulson and his
goons walked toward the exit.

“Joke’s on you, Paulson. My DNA is flawed. Any soldiers you
breed from me may be too,” he shouted at their backs.

Neither Paulson nor the bodyguards turned at his words,
leaving him alone with his mounting panic.