The Forbidden Trilogy (36 page)

"This is amazing, Drake. I love it. Thank you."

He pulled out my chair and encouraged me to sit as he
brought out our meal: a spinach salad with chopped pear, goat cheese, roasted
pine nuts and raspberry vinaigrette, followed by baked swordfish, asparagus and
fresh biscuits.

He sat across from me. "I thought we could use some
time together. Also, it's a celebration, of sorts."

"Oh? What are we celebrating?"

"While you were sleeping, Brad's video went viral. Like
tens-of-thousands-of-hits-viral. It's amazing, really. I didn't think it could
be done, but you two did it."

He seemed sad despite the good news. I reached over to touch
his hand. "We couldn't have done it without you. It was your sexy muscles
that made it happen in the end."

Drake flexed, and I fake-swooned and laughed. It felt good
to laugh, to flirt, to be with him alone.

I wished it could last.

But each bite of our dinner took us further away from each
other.

Our conversation reminded me of how two strangers on a first
date acted in movies. Why couldn't we talk like normal people?

Drake cleared the table and brought out raspberry sorbet for
dessert.

I took a small bite, and the sweet tangy raspberry flavor
aroused my taste buds. "Thank you, this is really delicious."

"I'm glad you like it." He ate his in silence.

"Drake, what's wrong with us? Why can't we find things
to talk about anymore?"

He put down his spoon. "I don't know. Maybe because our
whole relationship has been focused on problems, we've never learned to just
have fun together."

What he said made sense. First we had come together to
escape, and now we were on the run with a baby on the way. This was actually
our first date.

He stood and my heart fell. Was he giving up already?

"Why don't we watch a movie together? We can relax,
cuddle, and just enjoy each other for a few hours."

My heart lifted once more. How could I think he'd give up on
us? He'd never do that. "I like that idea. What do you want to
watch?"

His eyes twinkled mischievously. "I was thinking
X-Men
?"

"I can't believe you remember that!" We had
watched that movie once before, sort of. Luke and Lucy had come over to console
me while I got over what I thought was the flu, and we watched it together.
Drake had "watched" along with us in my mind. It was my favorite
movie ever.

He started the movie, then sat on the couch and held me.

I snuggled into his chest and enjoyed his heady scent.
"Wouldn't it have been awesome if Rent-A-Kid had been run by Professor
Xavier? What a cool place to grow up."

He kissed the top of my head. "Yeah, I wish you'd had that
life. You've had to go through so much."

"At least I have you, now. That makes it all worth
it."

When the movie ended, we headed back to our bedroom and
resumed cuddling.

Only cuddling led to kissing and kissing led to touching
and....

I pushed Drake away and fought against the warring feelings
in my body. On the one hand, a heat stirred in me that only he could quench. On
the other, fear and panic took over whenever we got too close to crossing that
line.

"I'm broken." Tears fell off my cheeks, and I didn't
bother wiping them. "I'm sorry you got stuck with me. You should be with
someone who can... who is more experienced and less traumatized by the thought
of sex. I just—I can't get the thoughts of what they did to me out of my head.
It's so hard, Drake. Whenever we go too far, something switches in my brain and
my whole body reacts in panic."

"Sweetheart, stop. I love you and only you. I wouldn't
change anything about you—except if I could destroy Rent-A-Kid and your pain, I
would. There's nothing wrong with you. What you're feeling is totally normal,
considering what you've gone through."

"You're not mad?"

"No. Never." Drake sighed and moved his body
away—just a fraction of an inch, but enough to relieve the sexual tension that
had built between us.

Relief and disappointment surged in me.
This is what I
wanted, right? No pressure until I'm ready. So why does it feel like I'm losing
him?

 "Just know that whatever happens, I love you. Never
forget that, Sam, okay? Whatever happens."

Four hours in a helicopter with Mr. Black rated as one of
the worst experiences ever for Lucy—and that was only the part she was
conscious for. Nobody had told them they'd be lugging around the deadweight of
Head Goon on this assignment. When the helicopter finally landed on the roof of
a super-secret—and weren't they
all
super-secret—facility in Russia,
Lucy and Luke scrambled out so fast they nearly tripped over each other.

Frigid air whooshed around Lucy, whipping her long, dark ponytail
into her face. She tucked her hair into her jacket and nudged Luke in the ribs.
"Ladies first, Bro. Or have you forgotten all your manners?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Mr. Black stepped out behind them and growled.

Again.

If they'd been playing a drinking game each time he growled,
Luke and Lucy would have both been sloshed thirty minutes into the trip.

A Russian scientist in a crisp white lab coat greeted them
with a handshake. He raised his voice over the roar of the helicopter blades,
his English stilted but clear. "I am Dr. Koslov, the head scientist here.
Follow me, and I will show you to our lab."

The helicopter rotors slowed to a stop as Dr. Koslov led
them through a rooftop door and down a flight of stairs into the lab.

Lucy and Luke kept pace with the group, acting as
"bodyguards" for Mr. Black. He had legitimate business here, but
their
mission was to steal information without alerting anyone.

The scientist pushed open another door at the bottom of the
stairs. "I should warn you that there was a terrible accident some time
ago, and many genetic anomalies have been discovered. We have both animals and
humans who need cures or treatments. Please, do not be alarmed."

A tiny creature that looked as though a tarantula had
crawled into the skin of a dog gave a half-bark, half-screech as Lucy walked
by.

She jumped back and bumped into the scientist.
Do not be
alarmed? Right.

Row after row of disfigured beasts straight out of a horror
film stared at Lucy with horribly aware eyes: a cat with two heads, a bird with
lizard skin. Lucy had never seen anything like this place, and hoped she never
would again—though she wouldn't be surprised if it ended up in her nightmares.

Down the next hall was a series of sterile rooms with glass
walls. Her stomach heaved at the site before her. Humans with hideous growths
and animal-like mutations filled rows of hospital beds.

Alone in a stark, empty room, her nakedness exposed to any
prying eyes, sat a woman with long brown hair and a normal human body. She
stroked herself as if scratching at a persistent itch. Then Lucy noticed the
thin lines of blood flowing down her arm, and the sharp cat claws that sprang
from her fingertips. The woman looked up and locked eyes with Lucy: cat eyes,
green and glowing with a preternatural awareness.

Lucy shivered.

She wanted to look away, to think of anything else, but the
gruesome mutations drew her attention like the proverbial train wreck.

A small boy, no more than nine years old, ran around his
room on all fours, his back facing the group. He turned around and barked—with
a snout and face of a dog.

In the last room, a large man, burly like a gorilla, stood
silent in the corner, watching them with a keen intelligence. He could have
taken on the Incredible Hulk and Superman together and won, unless it was a
beauty contest. Large flaps of skin hung from his tall, bulging body like
peeling wallpaper. A bulbous nose sat to the side of his asymmetrical face,
creating a Picasso effect that Sam would have loved to capture on paper.

To the world, he was a monster, but when she looked into his
eyes, she did not see a monster.

Behind that mask lurked a human being full of fear and
sadness.

Dr. Koslov gestured to the patients. "The human victims
are the most heartbreaking, especially the ones who must be kept in cells for
their, and our, safety. Please beware of this section, with the metal doors.
These are no longer humans, but mutated beasts with an instinct to kill."

Before they reached the meeting room, Lucy noticed a thick,
steel door to what looked like a vault. "What's in there?"

She paid close attention to the answer, alert to any lies,
though so far the scientist had spoken only truth.

"That is the most dangerous room in this entire
building—a highly radiated area. It would kill any human being who entered
it."

"Why is it here if no one can go in?"

"We are able to use it for our research without
entering."

True—as far as it went. Lucy couldn't pin down any specific
lie. The scientist wasn't forthcoming with the details, but there was
definitely more to this place than an altruistic desire to help the beings
broken by an accident.

Two large doors at the end of the hall revealed a
standard-looking conference room with a long table down the center.

Mr. Black glared at Lucy and Luke. "I'm going to my
meeting now. You two will wait out here until I'm done. Then we'll leave."

Without waiting for their response, he turned and stomped
into the room. Dr. Koslov spared a glance at them before he shut the door.

Time for the
real
assignment.

Another scientist, who looked young enough to be a
Rent-A-Kid himself, escorted Luke and Lucy to a waiting area. "If you need
anything, just let someone know."

Luke made himself comfortable on one of the chairs.

Lucy clutched at her bag. "Is there a bathroom
anywhere?"

The young scientist, whom Lucy couldn't help but notice was
very tall, blond and sexy—for a lab rat—pointed her down the hall and to the
left.

She smiled, thanked him and started walking. She poked her
head into offices until she found one that looked like it would stay empty for
a while.

The door lock clicked behind her, and she settled into the
desk chair and turned on the computer. She wished Sam could have helped with
the Russian, as human language was never Lucy's strong suit. The zeros and ones
of computers made more sense to her.

No time for walks down memory lane.
She worked fast
to hack into the surveillance system, feed a streaming loop into the live
broadcast, and give Luke the okay to move forward with the assignment. She set
up her screen to show three different images: the camera loop the guards would
see, the specific camera Luke showed up on, and the real camera feed throughout
the grounds.

"Luke, your ears on?"

"Loud and clear, Lucy Lou."

"Don't call me that. Listen, I'm in the system. Time to
get moving. Mr. Black is offline right now. We'll hear if he decides to join
us, so be ready."

"You got the scoop on where this super computer is
we're supposed to hack?"

"I'm working on it, but first I need you to slip
through the walls and spy on that meeting Mr. Black's in."

She could hear Luke fidget with his pack, even as she
watched him on the camera. "Luce, that's not the game plan. We don't have
much time as it is. You really want to waste precious minutes on something that
might be nothing?"

"I hope you can hear my dramatic sigh over here.
Nothing is
nothing
when it comes to these people. Just get in, record
some of it, and get out. I need time to find the computer, anyways."

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Yeah, yeah. Go! I've got work to do."

Lucy's fingers flew over the keyboard as the seconds ticked
away. Luke had a point. They had precious little time to complete this mission,
and it required all their skill and focus. Playing double agent risked
everything, but they had to do it. Knowledge equaled power at this stage in the
game, and they needed all the power they could get. What business did
Rent-A-Kid have here, and what role did the mutated creatures play? With all
the genetic experimenting going on, Lucy believed they were somehow connected.

Images of a whip tearing across Mike's back flashed in her
mind.

The Freedom Fighters depended on them for a plan. She
wouldn't fail.

When she gave the go-ahead that no one was watching, Luke
placed himself inside the wall to spy on the meeting. The special microphone on
the recorder should pick up all sounds in the room.

The images on the computer cycled in and out, each a live
feed of a different part of the building.

Come on, baby. Where are you?

There you are.

Lucy zoomed in on one live feed—a secure room surrounded by
guards and scientists.

"Luke, we have a problem. The room's surrounded. No way
I can get you in without creating a distraction."

"That goes against orders, Sis."

"Ask me if I care. I'm not risking your life for some
orders."

Luke slipped out of the wall and went back to his original
seat. "Meeting's ending early, Sis. They're about to leave. Get me to the
computer."

"Head left, then right down the corridor. I'll talk you
through it."

Her earpiece buzzed. Mr. Black's frequency stirred to life
and his voice boomed in her head, "Have you secured the data?"

Lucy scanned the cameras to find Mr. Black in the bathroom
washing his hands.
Proper hygiene is important after all, when you're
ruining people's lives.

"I'm getting Luke to the computer, but it's surrounded.
Permission to create a distraction."

"Denied. They must never know we've been here."
Mr. Black's signal shut down. He was gone, for now.