Page 17 of His Reluctant Mate

Joe’s eyes narrowed, his mind racing for a plan. "Hawkins. I should have known you were involved."

Hawkins chuckled, a dark, menacing sound. "You were always too curious for your own good, Joe. Now, hand over the data, and maybe I’ll make your death quick."

Joe assessed his options, knowing he was outnumbered and outgunned. "What happened to you, Hawkins? You were a good man once."

"Times change," Hawkins shrugged and replied, his smile fading. "And so do loyalties."

The mercenaries closed in, their guns trained on Joe. He knew he couldn't take them all on in his current state. His mind worked furiously, searching for a way out, a way to get Melinda and the data to safety.

Just as the tension reached its peak, the facility’s alarm blared to life, echoing through the halls. The sudden noise startled the mercenaries, giving Joe the split second he needed. With a swift, fluid motion, he grabbed a nearby locker door and ripped it free, using it as a makeshift shield.

Bullets ricocheted off the metal as Joe barreled through the mercenaries, knocking several of them aside. Hawkins shouted orders, but Joe was already moving, adrenaline and determination driving him forward. He had to get back to Melinda and the others, had to ensure that the data made it out.

As he battled the general’s goons, he could hear the chaos spreading throughout the facility. He turned back to take on the few mercenaries that remained and the general himself. Joe had always suspected Hawkins had had a hand in what had happened in Afghanistan. Maybe, just maybe, they could force Hawkins to confess to what he had done. It wasn’t much, and it wasn’t the primary outcome for the mission, but it gave him hope that perhaps the wrongs that had been done to him could be rectified, and he could be exonerated. He would always carry the burden of his brothers-at-arms’ deaths, but at least his name would be cleared.

Realizing that the tide had turned and the general was most likely done for, the last of the mercenaries turned tail and ran, leaving Joe to take on the general. As Hawkins leveled a gun at him, Joe felt a small furry animal slink past him. They were really going to need to come to an understanding about Melinda following his orders, as she seemed reluctant to do so.

He could only watch as Melinda coiled her muscles and leaped for the general’s arm.

CHAPTER 10

MELINDA

Melinda moved swiftly through the chaos, her heart pounding as she slipped past Joe. She could feel his concern and frustration radiating off him like a heatwave. He wanted her safe, out of harm’s way, but she couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Not now, when everything was at stake.

As General Hawkins raised his gun, Melinda saw her chance. With a burst of speed, she leaped at him, her momentum carrying her through the air. Her teeth sank into Hawkins' arm, eliciting a scream of pain and surprise. She wrestled with him, trying to wrench the gun from his grip, but Hawkins was strong, and his military training gave him the upper hand. He managed to shake her off, throwing her to the ground and retaining control of the gun.

But her distraction had worked. Joe shifted, his body transforming him from human to sabretooth tiger in a heartbeat. He launched himself at Hawkins, claws and fangs bared. The general barely had time to react before Joe was upon him, their struggle fierce, primal, and ultimately lethal.

In the chaos, the general’s gun discharged. Melinda felt a sharp, burning pain in her side and collapsed to the floor, shifting as she did so. The world around her dimmed, sounds becoming muffled and distant. She pressed a hand to her wound, feeling the warm, sticky blood seeping through her fingers. She hadn’t minded the blood when it had been that of her opponent, but it was alarming to see her own pouring out of the wound.

"Melinda!" Joe’s voice cut through the haze, filled with panic and anger. He finished off Hawkins with a swift, lethal strike, then rushed to her side. Kallik was there in an instant, covering her with a blanket. His hands were already moving to bind her wound.

"Stay with me, Melinda," Kallik urged, his voice steady and calm despite the urgency. He ripped strips of fabric from his shirt, pressing them against the wound to stem the bleeding.

JOE

Joe shifted back to his human form, grabbing and donning the clothing Kallik shoved into his hands. He tore down the corridor to the communications room he’d spotted previously. Somewhere along the line, the satellite phone he’d had with him had been lost. He hadn’t spent much time worrying about it as it hadn’t been able to cut through the static of the storm. Still shaken, he grabbed one of the research facility’s satellite phones—hoping that their current location had a better and more powerful system that could get a call out.

Dialing Asher’s number. "Ash, I’m sending you GPS coordinates. We need an emergency evac.”

“Did you find Dr. King?"

“Dr. King, some kind of global conspiracy, murders, mayhem—you name it, I found it. Oh, and to add to the fun, General Hawkins is involved.”

“We need to talk about him when you get back. It seems Colby—being the busybody he is—has dug up some interesting information on the general and on the charges that were laid against you. We’ll have a chopper in the air ASAP.”

“Send two, there is some kind of evil research lab up here. And send paramedics, as well. Melinda’s been wounded, and some of the research staff don’t look well.”

“Got it.”

Joe ran back down to the locker room, where Kallik was keeping pressure on the wound, his eyes never leaving Melinda’s face. "You’re going to be okay. Just hold on." He looked up at Joe. “She should be fine if we can get her help. Amy says there is no medical staff.”

“My friend Ash has a couple of choppers on the way with paramedics. We need to start gathering people.”

“What about the mercenaries and the guards?” said Amy, fearfully.

Joe put his hand on hers. “This thing is falling apart. Trust me, the goon squads will behave like rats deserting a sinking ship.”

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