Into the Lair fmg-2 Page 25

  “Christ,” Mad Dog grumbled as he dug into his backpack. “It’s getting to be a chore keeping you two in clothes.”

  Ian glanced down, only now noticing that he was nude. Mad Dog tossed a pair of fatigues and a T-shirt at Ian and then to Braden. But Braden focused solely on Katie, anguish etched into his features as he stared down at her.

  “What happened, Ian?” Eli asked softly.

  Jonah and Eli both squatted down beside Katie. Braden ignored them in his distress.

  Ian shook the cobwebs from his head. “I don’t know everything,” he said honestly. He stared up at his brother. “Braden said he shifted on purpose and that he remembers everything that happened while he was the panther.”

  Eli and Jonah jerked their gazes to Braden.

  “Is that true?” Eli asked.

  “Think, Braden,” Jonah said urgently. “This could be important.”

  “They were hurting Katie,” Braden said simply, his voice breaking with emotion. “Ian and I were helpless to save her. Esteban had us shackled and drugged. I knew I had to shift and so I did. Then I killed the man who was trying to hurt Katie. Then Esteban and finally the third man in the room.”

  Eli exchanged glances with Ian, his brow creased in concentration.

  “Did you mean to kill them? What I mean is did you know what you were doing? Did you plan it?”

  “Yes,” Braden said simply. “I went after them. I wanted them dead. Katie fell from the table. There was blood everywhere, on her, on Esteban.”

  He stared up at Ian. “You told her to get out, that I would hurt her. She touched me and then she buried her face in my fur. Then she told you to shift. You refused and said you didn’t want to hurt her. She told you that I wouldn’t let you, that I was protecting her. It was true. When you shifted, I put myself between you and her. I didn’t know what you would do. But you immediately went to help her. We both were just trying to get her out of there. She barely made it down the tunnel.”

  He returned his gaze to her. “She was in so much pain. I don’t know what they did to her, Ian, and it’s killing me.”

  Katie moaned again. She shook, seemingly wracked with a chill, but sweat bathed her body, beading on her forehead. Her face was pale, and her muscles twitched like a junkie in withdrawal.

  Her face contorted, and her lips drew together in a fine line, going white as she battled what seemed to be unbearable pain.

  And then her eyes flew open, and she stared up at Jonah and Eli. Her pupils went wide with fear, and then she turned away, her eyes staring unseeingly into the jungle. Her leg jumped, and the nerves in her arms spasmed uncontrollably.

  Eli’s expression hardened while Jonah’s face softened when he stared down at her shaking body. Jonah reached out and gently touched her face.

  Slowly her eyes moved until she locked gazes with him.

  “What did they do to you, habibti?”

  His voice was strained. Uncharacteristic emotion simmered in his eyes.

  She stared dully back at him. “They took my eggs,” she whispered.

  Jonah’s head came up in shock, and the other men all stared at each other. Had they understood right? Ian’s face tightened in horror as he remembered the scene right before Braden shifted. The spreading of her legs and the metal device the man had put between her legs. Dear God.

  She closed her eyes as tears seeped from the corners, leaving damp trails down her pale face.

  Eli turned to stare up at Mad Dog. There was steel in his eyes. “Give me some time before you blow this place to hell.” Then he turned to the others. “Get Katie to the helicopter. I’ll meet you there.”

  * * *

  Jonah carried Katie through the jungle, with Mad Dog taking point and Tits bringing up the rear. Ian and Braden were still weak and shaky from the drugs and the prolonged shift.

  Jonah glanced down as Katie jerked and spasmed in his arms and wondered for the hundredth time what the bastards had done to her. And why? She clutched a worn leather journal to her chest, and murmured a weak protest when he tried to take it from her. So he left it, not wanting to cause her any more distress.

  Her eyes had the vacant, distant look of the women brutalized under his father’s reign of tyranny. She looked…like his mother had the day he’d found her huddled in the bedroom of their palace home.

  He stared stonily ahead even as his grip tightened around Katie’s slight form. He hadn’t been able to save his mother or the many others his father had crushed. In the end, he’d fled, shedding all association with Adharji and his dictator father.

  Funny how things had a way of coming full circle. All things began in Adharji.

  “Slow up, Jonah,” Tits called. “We’re nearing the landing site. Let Ian and Braden go ahead and make sure the area is clear. I’ll hang back and provide cover for you.”

  Jonah slowed his pace and loosened his grip around Katie’s body. “Poor habibti,” he murmured as he stared down at the perspiration glistening on her face. “You’ve had it way too hard for one so young.”

  “She needs a doctor,” Tits said.

  Jonah jerked his head around to see Tits standing at his right shoulder. Then he glanced back at the strain on Katie’s face. “Yes, she does.”

  “She’s really messed with you, dude,” Tits said casually.

  Jonah lifted his head to stare at Tits. After a moment Tits shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

  “I would hope that any woman treated so abominably would mess with any man,” he said tightly.

  Tits nodded. “True enough. I’m just not used to seeing you so…”

  “So what?”

  Tits shook his head. “Nothing, man. Forget I said anything.”

  Mad Dog shouted an all clear, and Jonah strode forward into the clearing where the helicopter would land shortly. On cue, the whop whop of an approaching chopper sounded from low over the horizon.

  “Give me your shirt,” Jonah said to Mad Dog.

  Mad Dog dropped his pack and shrugged out of his mesh button-up. He thrust it toward Jonah, and Jonah nodded his head down at Katie. Mad Dog carefully arranged it over her shivering body while Ian and Braden hovered close by.

  Ian and Braden both wore expressions of men who’d been tortured a dozen times over. Jonah studied them, in awe over the fact that two men could both so obviously love the same woman. They made it seem so natural. Even Mad Dog and Tits hadn’t blinked an eye over it. Everyone just accepted it and went on.

  Love was an interesting, multifaceted thing.

  Jonah turned and shielded Katie’s body as the helicopter dipped and lowered several yards away. Mad Dog threw open the door and motioned for Tits, Ian and Braden to get in. Jonah walked slower, taking care not to jostle Katie. When he got close, Ian leaned over, his arms outstretched. Jonah relinquished her to the other man and turned to wait for Eli.

  He simmered impatiently, checking his watch at five-minute intervals. He didn’t like having his team exposed, sitting ducks. He was getting antsy and impatient with each passing minute. After ten minutes, Eli strode from the jungle, a silver cylinder in his hand.

  He hurried past Jonah and climbed into the waiting chopper. Jonah climbed in after him, and they lifted off.

  Eli knelt on the floor in front of Ian. He picked up Katie’s hand and placed the canister against her palm. Then he gently pressed her fingers until she gripped it.

  “You’ve left nothing of yours here, Katie,” Eli said in a low voice. “Do you understand?”

  Tears filled her eyes once more. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Mad Dog pulled out a transmitter and yanked the antenna up.

  “Take us low over the compound,” Mad Dog yelled toward the pilot. Then he glanced back at the others. “Let’s blow this joint, shall we?”

  As they zoomed over, explosions rocked the air. The compound disappeared from sight as orange balls of flames shot skyward. Smoke billowed and clogged the air. For a long time, Jonah stared out the window as they go
t further away.

  Esteban was dead and with him any secrets he harbored. D’s condition was a very uncertain thing. There was no miracle cure for him. No quick fix.

  There was only Braden’s sudden ability to shift at will and retain the panther’s memories to give them any hope for the future. But was it a one-time aberration spawned by desperation? Or was it possible that the man might gain control over the beast?

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Katie slowly closed the journal and lowered it to her lap, her fingers trembling as she fiddled with the worn edges. She raised her head to stare out the window at the ocean spreading out as far as the eye could see.

  The window was cracked so she could hear the waves rolling in. The sound soothed her and eased some of the hypersensitivity she still experienced from the chemical Esteban had exposed her to.

  She stared back down at the journal and then closed her eyes against the fear that tightened her chest. With a sigh, she uncurled her legs and pulled herself out of the plush armchair that Ian and Braden had positioned by the window. The others would want to know what the journal contained. They would need to know.

  Fatigue weighed heavily on her. She’d worn herself out gauging her every mood, analyzing each twinge, each shift in temperament. She lived in fear that at any moment, with no provocation, she could turn into a wild creature. Not knowing what she might change into was killing her.

  Marcus knew what had happened to her. The others still did not. It was time to tell them everything.

  She headed down the stairs of the south wing. The island estate was huge, with stairs from all the wings converging into a central foyer. Most of the time, however, the members of Falcon and CHR gathered in the game room. They weren’t opposed to a little imbibing and some pot smoking, and pool was always a hot commodity.

  She paused inside the doorway, suddenly unsure of herself, of her place in this crew of mercenaries. They were tougher than her, more ruthless. She admired that, wished she embodied more of their traits.

  She wished she wasn’t so terrified.

  Tyana and Eli stood at one corner of the pool table watching as Jonah leaned over to take his shot. Tyana leaned on one crutch while Eli supported her by wrapping his arm around her waist. Mad Dog stood back, cue in hand, and made a jeering noise when Jonah’s shot went wide. Ian and Braden leaned against the bar. Braden’s hands were shoved into his pockets, and he nodded at something Ian said.

  Then he looked up and saw her. He straightened immediately, concern flashing on his face. Did she look as fragile as she felt?

  He shoved off of the bar and crossed the room. He came to a stop just in front of her and reached for her hands.

  “Hey,” he said softly. “You okay?”

  She offered a faint smile and nodded.

  “Come here.”

  He tugged her against his chest, tucked her head under his chin and wrapped his arms around her. For a moment she relaxed into his hold, absorbing his strength and the comfort he offered. Then she carefully pulled away. She trembled as he smoothed his fingers down her arms and then captured her hands again.

  “I finished the journal,” she said. “There are things that everyone should know. And other things…”

  Braden studied her intently then tugged her forward. “Come over here where you’ll be comfortable.”

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her toward the couch in front of the bar where Ian still stood.

  The others stopped to look at her. Jonah’s gaze followed her, and when she met his eyes, his expression softened.

  “I’d rather stand,” she said when Braden started to sit her down on the couch.

  She slipped her fingers from his and took a few steps back. Ian’s hands clasped her shoulders, and his mouth brushed close to her ear.

  “Are you okay?” he asked quietly. “Are you feeling well?”

  She nodded and turned to face the others. She’d start with Esteban. Maybe by the time she’d explained all she’d read, the part where she divulged that she might turn into an unpredictable shifter might actually seem normal.

  Tyana, Eli, Mad Dog and Jonah all stared at her expectantly. She wiped her palms down her jeans and took a deep breath.

  “Esteban was a shifter. A wolf, to be more exact. Not a werewolf like the movies or legends. A real wolf.”

  Shocked silence ensued.

  Jonah stepped forward. “You want to run that by us again?”

  “I saw him,” she said. “When he died. When he took his last breath, he shifted.” She glanced at Braden. “Do you remember?”

  “I thought that part was a delusion,” Braden muttered. “So much of that time was so scattered. It all happened so fast, and when I look back it’s with such a sense of detachment, like I’m seeing something that happened through someone else’s eyes. Honestly I thought I was a little nuts.”

  “According to his journal, he’s a natural shifter.”

  Eli surged to attention, and Tyana put her hand on his arm.

  “A what?” Mad Dog demanded. “What the hell is a natural shifter?”

  “He was born that way,” Katie said softly. “Unfortunately, he had no control over when and how he shifted. He spent most of his life in seclusion. He began experimenting with a chemical that altered human DNA in early adulthood. I say he, but he only funded the research. He had no scientific background.”

  She glanced at Eli and then Ian and Braden. “You were his first successful experiment. But only Eli and Gabe achieved the results he was interested in. Stability. He couldn’t accept that his genetic make-up couldn’t be changed, that there was no cure for his instability.”

  “Christ,” Tyana muttered. “We’ve all been searching for the same thing. The bastard created his own problem in D and the others.”

  Katie nodded. “Except, for whatever reason, Gabe and Eli gained full control of their abilities. Esteban became obsessed with reproducing that result. Which is why he came after me. I shared Gabe’s DNA. Eli had no family. He wanted my…”

  She swallowed, and Ian’s hands tightened around her shoulders.

  “What did he want?” Jonah asked.

  She looked down as tears threatened. This part terrified her—admitting it—out loud. It made it real, and now she’d face a very uncertain future. What if…

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” Braden asked, concern evident in his voice.

  “He exposed me to the same chemical agent that you were exposed to,” she said in a low voice.

  “What?”

  The demand exploded across the room from at least three different places. Ian spun her around, his eyes wide with horror.

  A tear rolled down her cheek as she shook in his arms. “I’m scared,” she whispered.

  “Dear God, that’s why…” He broke off and dug a hand into his hair. “Jesus, that’s why you were in such pain, why you’re still so weak.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Braden swore.

  She found herself between the two men, their hands shaking as they stroked her arms and her back. They touched her face, her hair, held her close.

  “I’m terrified of what will happen,” she choked out. “What am I going to do?”

  She leaned her forehead against Ian’s chest, and he pressed his lips to the top of her head. His entire body shook against hers.

  “Come sit down,” he said. “We’ll figure this out, okay? I don’t want you to worry.”

  She smiled wanly at his attempt to infuse her with hope. But she allowed him to lead her to the couch. The others all gathered in the small sitting area. Tyana and Eli sat on the opposite couch while Mad Dog parked it on the arm of the chair that Jonah sat in. Ian and Braden flanked her on the couch, Ian holding her hand while Braden clasped her leg above her knee.

  Jonah leaned forward, his expression serious. “You won’t be alone, Katie. Falcon will help you in any way we can.”

  “She’ll have us,” Braden said softly.

  Jonah nodded, his expre
ssion easing.

  “I think everyone is missing a very important question here,” Mad Dog said. “Was Esteban really a natural shifter or was he bat-shit crazy? Is it even possible? Does that change anything for Eli, D, Ian and Braden or is all hope for a cure gone?”

  Eli propped his elbows on his knees and scrubbed at his face.

  “Eli, don’t,” Tyana pleaded. “You don’t have to do this.”

  He grimaced and then reached over to squeeze her hand. “Yeah, sugar, I do.”

  He focused his weary gaze on Ian and Braden, regret brimming in his dark eyes.

  “I’ve been lying to you guys for a long time.”

  Katie glanced anxiously at Ian and Braden as confusion darkened their faces.

  “What?” Braden asked.

  “The chemical that turned you into cats…it didn’t affect me.”

  “Of course it did,” Ian said. “Hell, I’ve seen you shift.”

  “I was born a shifter,” Eli said quietly. “It’s a secret I’ve carried since I was ten years old. It just became easier to disguise after what happened in Adharji. I no longer had to hide my ability from you because suddenly I was provided an explanation. Gabe was stable so it didn’t stretch probability that I was too.”

  “Holy fuck,” Mad Dog breathed. “Has the entire world gone crazy? That shit just doesn’t happen.”

  “So Gabe was the only one who truly turned out the way Esteban envisioned?” Katie asked painfully.

  “Apparently so,” Ian muttered.

  Braden held up his hand. “Whether or not Esteban was a natural shifter is irrelevant. The fucker is dead. What we need to be worried about is the fact that the son of a bitch gassed Katie.”

  Ian nodded and then he turned to her again. “Does Marcus know?”

  She nodded slowly.

  “What did he suggest?”

  She closed her eyes. “He said all I could do was wait and see. There’s nothing he can do.” Her voice cracked. “No tests he can run. No cure if I’m affected.”

  Braden cursed and turned away, his fists rolled into tight balls against the couch.

  Tyana stared across at her with a stricken expression. “I’m sorry, Katie.”