Page 58 of Atone in Darkness
She pointed toward the line of bodies. “One of those men had the same abilities as Chase. He said hisdesignation in the study was Number Three, so he had the same DNA marker in his blood I was hired to study. Chase was called Number Five.”
Not that any of that mattered right now. “His first name was Edgar, and he told Chase he’d been stationed in Costa Rica. He said he had gotten tired of being used as cannon fodder and walked away. Shortly after that, he was offered a job helping to recruitother test subjects. He referred to our mutual employer as the Cadre, although that’s not a term I heard before he used it. I was hired by a company that called itself Annulus Development. That’s all I know.”
DJ looked past her to Tyson. “Any of that ring a bell?”
“I was still in the marines when I was unofficially reassigned to a classified operational group. No one usedthat terminology aroundme. But like I told Lonzo, things changed a while back, and not for the better. I walked away when they ordered a hit on Eli’s commanding officer. The people I worked for originally would never have done that, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the group was under new management.”
Even if she hadn’t already known that she was surrounded by modern-day warriors, she would have now. Just like Chase,they were all three now on full alert and hyperaware of their surroundings, shoulders back, hands on weapons, and ready for action.
Too bad that with the sole exception of Tyson, they were all convinced that she was their enemy.
•••
DAMN, HE HURT.Every time Chase drew a breath, jagged shards of pain ripped through his chest. What the hell had happened?
Only one way to find out. He forcedone eye open and then the other one. His vision remained blurry, but he’d seen enough ceilings in a Paladin medical lab to recognize one when he saw it. There was the usual medicinal smell, the feel of the cold stainless steel he was lying on, and the familiar tug of chains strapping him down.
“Welcome back, Chase.”
He blinked, still trying to bring the world back into focus. The woman talkingto him might be smiling, but he couldn’t be sure.
“We’ve met before, but I’m guessing you’re prettygroggy right now. I’m Dr. Young, Devlin Bane’s wife. I’ll be your Handler while you’re here. For now, a few people want to say hi. Once they’ve had a chance to reassure themselves that you’re back with us, I’ll shoo them out and start a full assessment. You’ve been through this before, so you knowwhat to expect.”
It took some effort, but he managed to turn his head just enough to look at the speaker. She wasn’t alone. There were several men standing nearby. They parted as another woman pushed her way to the forefront of the group. His sister and Jarvis replaced the doctor at his side. He stared up at their worried faces.
He whispered. “Gwen?”
She cupped the side of his face with thepalm of her hand. “I’m here, Chase. You’ve had us worried.”
His mouth was so dry that it hurt to talk, but he tried. “Sorry.”
“We’re just glad you’re back.”
He could hear the tears in her words. The bastards who’d taken him hadn’t only tortured him. Everyone who cared about him had been through hell, too. If he could get his hands on them, he’d make them pay. Make them bleed. Kill them overand over again.
His past melded with his present in a burning orange haze. Was he really surrounded by friends, or had the enemy only tricked him into believing he was safe? No way to know. Needed to get free. Needed his doctor. Not this one, buthisdoctor—Marisol. She would tell him the truth.
He fought against his restraints with everything he had and chanted the name of the one person hetrusted to tellhim the truth. “Marisol, Marisol, Marisol.”
The woman claiming to be his sister was dragged back out of sight, a large man taking her place. “Damn it, Chase, stay with us.”
Another voice yelled, “Dr. Young! His eyes are changing again.”
The Handler reappeared, a large syringe in her hand. He fought harder, trying to prevent her from injecting him. Too late. He wanted to trustthe sympathy in her expression, but he couldn’t risk it.
“Marisol. Need her.”
He wasn’t sure if he actually said the words or not. Already his thoughts were going hazy as his pounding heart shoved the chemical through his veins. No longer able to form words, he closed his eyes and listened as the conversation swirled around him.
A woman—his sister?—whispered, “Will he make it back again?”
The doctor answered. “I hope so.”
She didn’t sound convinced.
A deep male voice entered the fray. “Would it help if that woman was here? The one he keeps asking for?”
The Handler didn’t hesitate this time. “It’s worth a shot. We all know that it helped Trahern that Brenna was at his side when he struggled to make it back all the way.”
“Yeah, but he loved her. This woman was part of the bunchthat held Chase captive.”
There was another murmur of voices. Either they were whispering among themselves or his hearing was fading just as his vision had done. Finally, the man who’d been standingbeside his might-be sister settled the matter once and for all.
“I know Devlin doesn’t want Dr. Riggs anywhere near Chase, and neither do I. But if there’s a chance having her would make a difference,we need to get her here now.”
“Are they back from the compound?”
The Handler rejoined the conversation. “Dev said they’d be back later this evening. Most of the guys will be coming by car, but I know the helicopter will be making a couple of runs, too. I’ll call him and make sure that Dr. Riggs is on the next flight back.”
Chase didn’t care how they got her there, only that she would be headedhis way soon. Until then, he’d quit fighting his chains and let the darkness come. Maybe the next time his eyes opened, Marisol would tell him what the hell was going on.
