Page 22 of Black Bay Protector
He was about to point out that she’d protected him too. That she’d not only gotten them out of the danger zone when he’d collapsed but also if she hadn’t distracted that soldier, he’d be dead. That conversation, though, would bring her brother and his situation to mind, and he didn’t want to see that pain in her eyes again. Not when she was currently looking so content and happy.
Luckily, their food delivery was about to arrive. He could smell it. “Food’s here,” he told her, pushing up from the bed.
As he strolled toward the door, Paige said, “Ah, Jace?”
“Yeah?”
Her eyes swept over him from head to toe, and he loved the way she looked at him. She didn’t see him as a freak. There was such admiration in her gaze…
“Don’t you think you might want to put some clothes on?”
“Any luck?” Doctor Jerome barked as he paced back and forth biting his thumbnail while the tech typed furiously at his keyboard, a nervous sweat dampening his forehead.
“I can’t get it to reconnect, Doctor.”
God dammit! He’d lost a multi-million-dollar military asset. They’d have his head for this. And where was Doctor Dietrich? She should be here, offering suggestions, helping him to find a solution, doing her fucking job. No one had seen her and she wasn’t answering her phone. The smug bitch was probably enjoying this. She was going to let him drown and laugh her ass off while doing it. He could practically hear her evil cackle.
How had the Commander even known where the trackers were? Or how to disconnect from the Sync? That wasn’t part of his programming.Theywere supposed to have complete control, not the asset. Now they were limited to using facial recognition to try to find the Commander. It was slow and tedious, and their chances of locating him were practically infinitesimal. Unacceptable.
“Sir,” the tech cut in, spinning his chair around. “The only other thing I can think of is to have one of the other assets try to communicate with him. That channel is different from the ones I can access. They’re built to be able to talk to each other over long distances when they’re deployed in the field.”
Why hadn’t he thought of that? Without a word, he strode to the door. He’d go to the Hub and activate the Lieutenant. This had better work. The higher-ups would be waiting for an update and there was only so much stalling he could do.
Roughly ten minutes later, he pulled his prized cherry-red Lamborghini Aventador in front of the heavily guarded building masquerading as a medical supplies warehouse. Entry required not only a key card and a PIN, but also a retinal scan, and voice authorization.
When the door clicked open, he was greeted by an AI with a female voice as the lights came on, illuminating the space and the many assets kept powered down until they were needed.
“Activate the Lieutenant,” he told the AI.
Approaching the pod where the asset was stored, the doors slid apart to reveal the soldier. Tubes that kept him nourished and healthy while he was in stasis ran from his body as did wires that monitored his vitals and stimulated his muscles so they wouldn’t atrophy.
The asset’s eyelids flicked open, a metallic blue shimmer lighting up the irises for a moment before they returned to their human hazel color. A green light washed over Doctor Jerome as the soldier scanned him.
“Sir.”
As the asset waited for his orders, Doctor Jerome contemplated how much to reveal, finally stating, “Lieutenant, we have an asset currently lost in the field. Establish a connection with the Commander and determine his whereabouts.”
That metallic shimmer returned as the soldier processed the request. His eyelids flickered, closed, and when they opened, the shimmer was gone. “Sir. I was able to briefly connect with the Commander but when he sensed my presence, he severed the link. I am unable to reestablish communications.”
“God dammit!” Craig paced angrily back and forth. Think.Think!Stopping, he faced the soldier again. “Were you able to pinpoint his current location through the Commander’s visual cortex?”
“No, sir.”
Son of a bitch.
“But I was able to determine where he plans to go based on his new mission parameters.”
New mission?Whatever. That wasn’t important. Whatwasimportant was getting the Commander back, wiping his memories, and pulling him back in line. “Where?”
“Here, sir. He intends to kill you.”
Chapter Eleven
Paigewashavingthemost erotic dream she’d ever experienced and had no desire to wake up. Her body, unfortunately, had different ideas. Her eyes slowly opened, only to discover that the pleasure she’d been experiencing hadn’t all been in her head. A delicious warmth was pressed against the length of her back – hard, muscular warmth – while skilled fingers plucked at her nipples and Jace’s mouth suckled gently at the side of her neck.
“Mm.” This was the best way to wake up.
Stretching languorously, she reached back and stroked the silky smooth bare skin of his hip.
