Omega (7 page)

“Colin!” She stopped. Hopefully standing in the sentry’s view would give Colin time to get out the way.

“Move!” the guard shouted.

Tom wasn’t making any more sounds. She glanced back and he was slumped on the floor, his head twisted in her direction. A trickle of blood dripped from his nose. Colin leaped, shoving her out of the way. He grabbed the guard by the arm and twisted it. A faint snap and the sentinel cried out sliding to the floor. Colin kneed him in the jaw.

He looked over at her and shook his head. His teeth receded. “Are you all right?” Colin slid his hands up and down her arm and brushed Marree’s back. The toddler giggled.

“What are you doing here?” She returned his gaze. “Tom’s dead?”

“He touched you; he deserved to die.” Colin peered at the children in her arms and smiled. He raised his hand and reached for Seri. She snapped her jaws. He snatched his hand back and narrowed his eyes. “She’s a wolf. We need to go.”

“Wait, what? How do you know?” Robbie hugged the girls closer. “And I can’t leave. I am not leaving my research here for scientists like Tom Willis to come work on after I’m gone.”

“I didn’t come here to argue with you, Robbie, I came to get you. There has been a change of plans and I need to get you out of here now.” He gripped her elbow and tugged her.

She wasn’t budging. “Why?”

“I challenged my father yesterday. Our timetable moved up.” The guard moaned. Colin kicked him and his head snapped to the side. Blood flew from his mouth and splattered the metal door. He stopped moving.

Robbie glanced down. “You have to stop killing people.”

“I’m on a roll.” Colin shrugged. “Can we leave now?”

“I just need to get a few things from my lab. Here, take the girls and I’ll meet you outside.” She offered him Marree.

He shook his head. “No, I will never get out of the building with them. No doubt Malachai has strict orders for the girls to stay on premises. I’ll create a diversion. Get to my car in the parking lot; I’ll meet you there.”

“No…no. You go.” She thought about a conversation she had with Malachai earlier over the weekend. “I have permission to take them outside. I’ll meet you at the car.” She leaned in and brushed her lips against his cheek. Before he could stop her, she rushed down the hall as if nothing was amiss. Just her and the kids out for stroll.

* * * *

She might act nonchalant but he saw the fear in her eyes before she turned away. He would give her all the support she needed and create a diversion like he promised. First he needed to clean up his mess to give them a little more time. He grabbed the soldier by the arm and dragged him into the lab, dropping him in the doorway. Flipping the light switches down one by one, the overhead lights went dark. The door squeaked as he shoved it shut.

Without a glance back he walked toward his office, nodding at the men patrolling the passageways. A few of them gave him a strange look and he gazed down at his front. Tiny red dots spotted his shirt and collar. He joked about being a messy eater and the other guys smiled. Casually he continued on his way, pulling the keys from his pocket as he approached his door.

He easily slid the key into the lock as he’d done thousands of times since setting his office up in the federal building. Colin eased the door open and quietly shut it behind him before crossing the room andpicking up the handset to his phone. He dialed his old friend. Sint picked up after a couple of rings.

“It’s late.” Her Cajun accent made the two words sound like one.

“I have another favor to ask.” Colin stared at the floor as he altered his plan again in his head.

“Goddess, can’t you solve your pack problems on your own? I swear when this over you better not call on us for a few years,” Sint grumbled. “Gimme a minute to find Percel.”

“No, it’s not Percel I need this time. I need your special set of talents.” Colin quieted and waited for her to respond.

She didn’t utter a word.

“Sint.” Colin pulled the handset from his face and stared at it.

“For fuck’s sake, what, Colin? What do you need?” Aggravation colored her words and he smiled.

“I’m sending Matos to Betaille with two little girls, toddlers no more than three or four. I think they might be shifters. One is definitely a wolf. I want you to find them homes.” He had to wait Sint out. The woman had a big heart but like any snake didn’t like to feel cornered.

“I thought you and Matos was coming together with your mate?”

“Another change of plans that couldn’t be helped. I’ll find another way to get Robbie down there.” He sighed.

“I’ll find a home for the babies. Children didn’t ask to be brought into this world. The least I can do is make sure they are taken care of when they get here.”

“Thank you, Sint.”

“You’re welcome.” She grunted. “I’ll get Percel.”

“No need. I can handle things from here.” He checked his watch and hoped Robbie was on her way out the building. “I have to go. Thank you for everything you do.”

“You know we may have to break contact for a while, Colin. I love you like a brother, but I will not have my family or clan put in danger ‘cause your daddy and his people are crazy.” Her tone was solemn.

“We all do what we have to do, Sint, I understand. You can still join the council.”

“Kiss my black ass, Colin.” She hung up and the dial tone dinged in his ear.

He chuckled. His friends kept him grounded, had done so since they met in shifter school when he’d first moved to the States. A freshman in college, him, Percel and Matos had become fast friends. He and Matos stood as duel best men at Percel’s wedding. When he had a problem, no matter the issue, he knew he could count on them and even in the midst of changing pack rules and his dad’s descent into lunacy, they had stuck by him. More than once Sint had reminded him that they were family and relations took care of each other. If it meant keeping them safe, he would break off all ties. His chest hurt at the idea. Goddess, when had everything gotten so fucked-up?

Colin walked around his desk and yanked out drawers to pull out folders. Information he’d found and kept. There were no real secrets in the shifter world and once he was Alpha of Volkshire he would have to make deals. It’s always better to be the advantageous one during negotiations and he was rebuilding his pack from the ground up. Nothing was sacred; he would ensure Volkshire’s survival by any means necessary.

What he didn’t need he crumpled and threw in the metal garbage pail. He set the can on the desktop and lifted the bottle of cognac from the drawer.
Baby, I hope this gives you enough time.
He pulled the cork from the bottle and took a deep swig of the amber liquid before pouring the aged alcohol over the papers and sprinkling it around the room. Returning to his desk, he lifted his last hand-rolled cigar from his hiding spot, bit off the tip and lit it. He dropped the match in the wastebasket. Flames licked the air and light plumes of smoke spiraled up. He shoved the small can off the desktop and burning documents tumbled out to catch on the sheets littering the floor.

The fire probably wouldn’t make it beyond his office, but it should give them enough time to get away. He stalked across the space, opened the door; and crossed the threshold. He made sure to close and lock the door behind him. Once he got Robbie and the girls to safety, he would contact Matos.

Chapter Seven

Robbie twisted the knob to her lab and entered the dark room. She set the girls down just inside the doorway and flipped the light switches. Waving her hand down in a motion to stay where they were, she moved farther into the room, Marree followed her. Seri hung back. At her desk she pulled papers that were scattered across the surface into a haphazard pile and tried to roll them to get a rubber band around them. The children chased each other along the wall, the hard soles of their shoes clacking on the floor. Hastily she shoved the roll down her blouse.

She trotted around to the counter and crouched to the under-cabinet refrigerator. After she’d discovered the strand in Matos’s sample she’d generated a serum. It was untested, but there was no more time for human trials, she had to trust it would work. And that the equations were correct and it was the missing strain from the other amalgams. She kept her discovery to herself. It was time to walk on faith; she grabbed the three preloaded syringes. Turning away, she hurriedly twisted back and snatched an apple she’d tossed in there a couple days ago, before rising. In case the little ones got hungry.

“What are you doing?” Malachai stood between the children, his hands rested on the shoulder of each girl.

“Shouldn’t you be resting, Malachai?” She stuffed the syringes in her back pocket.

“I was but Tom was supposed to meet me in my room and funny thing is, he didn’t show up. We both know how anal he is about punctuality so when I called him and he didn’t answer I grew concerned.” Malachai’s smile did not reach his eyes.

“I haven’t seen, Dr. Willis.” Slowly she eased around the counter. “I came by to grab a snack.” She held the fruit up. “I was about to take the girls outside for a few minutes of fresh air.”

“That’s not a good idea. At least not until we find Tom.” Malachai narrowed his eyes. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. Tom wouldn’t just disappear.” He urged the children ahead of him as he walked. “I’m putting this facility on lockdown.”

“You can’t do that,” Robbie blurted. Fear skittered along her spine. If he shut the facility down, she wouldn’t be able to escape.  Her bravado withered a little.

“Really, why not?” He tilted his head.

“You’re being rash. I’m surprised you’re up and moving so fast. Chai…” She decided to use his nickname and eased closer to him. Those little looks and slight touches she was always fending off.  It was time to utilize them. “You suffered a seizure and until we know the cause, honey, you should take it easy.”

“That didn’t answer my question.” He limped to the counter, urging the kids to walk in front of him and placed his hand on the phone. “I can tell when you’re lying and right now you’re only pissing me off.  Everyone will stay where they are until our missing colleague can be located.”

She couldn’t let that happen. Colin was waiting for her and there was no way in hell she was leaving the toddlers. Something was off and she couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something wrong with Malachai; she could see it in his eyes. She caressed his fingers, sliding her palm over the back of his hand. “You promised me I could take the girls outside. I thought you were a man of your word.”

Malachai dropped his head. “It’s too dangerous,” he murmured.

“You’re the colonel, head of a multimillion dollar program involving cutting edge science and you cut quite the figure in uniform.” She winked. “If anyone can keep us safe, it’s you.” She sidled up to his side and gently moved Marree behind her.

“I was wondering if you would ever notice.” He licked his dry, cracked lips. “So many times I have—thought—about us.”

“Yes?” She reared back to gaze up at him. “So have I, you’re a powerful man.”

“I think the drugs in my system are fucking with me.” He shook his head. “You’ve never shown any interest in me before.”

Robbie searched her mind for a viable excuse. “I like the paternal side you have been showing to the little girls.” It was a flimsy explanation, but she hoped his muddled brain took it at face value. She glanced around to check on the toddlers.

“We could do it together.” He gripped her biceps. “You and I, raise the little ones, hybrid humans. They are the new breed.”

She tried not to flinch and widened her smile. “What do you mean?”

“God, I have wanted to tell you this for so long. I told Tom you were perfect. We harvested your eggs for the test-tube fertilization and impregnated shifter women that Ian found.” His tone picked up, his chest swelled when he took a breath. “My sperm coupled with the strands of shifter DNA you were able to isolate…these are our children. We created our own shifters and with Tom’s research we can build a whole nation of new humans.”

It was hard to breathe; she took in air but it felt like a vise was locked around her chest. “How?” she whispered. Disgust churned her belly.

“Tom has been working on other contracts. I know we were wrong but—God, it feels so good to talk openly with you—he came up with almost undetectable psychoactive drugs. The military and medicinal applications are endless.” Malachai released her and grew animated as he spoke. “You were our guinea pig, the person we based our drug trials on, and you reacted beautifully. You never moved, not even a twitch. Laid out in your bed you looked almost ethereal, beautiful. I couldn’t help myself. I had to have you…just a taste.”

A vortex of emotions crept through her, anger, surprise, loathing, and as one feeling flashed and vanished a cold numbness claimed more of her. “What exactly are you saying?” If Tom wasn’t already dead, she would have killed him. “You raped me?” She couldn’t raise her voice above a murmur.

“Rape is such a strong word. I acted on an attraction that you are finally acknowledging.” Malachai cupped her face and leaned in. “Don’t deny it now. I saw how you looked at me. It was only a matter of time before we could be together…”

The fire alarms went off.

Robbie snatched the scalpel from the tray next to her microscope. It was time to act and pray Colin was waiting for her beyond the walls of the building. Malachai spun around and reached out to grab the Seri. He held her by her tiny arm. “Robbie, pick up Marree; we need to find Tom and get out of here.” He twisted in a half circle peering at her before returning his gaze to the door.

The sound of thunderous footsteps filled the hall beyond her lab. Resignation engulfed her psyche. She’d almost made it out with the toddlers, but at least she had answers to the questions that had been plaguing her. Marree’s small hands tugged on the hem of her shirt. Now was not the time to be weak; she could fall apart later. If she couldn’t save herself, she would do her damnedest to save her children. Get them away from Malachai and she could send them out with the exodus of civilians flooding the exits. Her heart thumped so hard, she was sure it could be heard even above the alarms blaring.