Bearing It All (Grizzly Affairs Book 1) (26 page)

Moving up the steps she reached for the door knob. The door fell open before her hand could touch it. Instantly her hand drew her gun and aimed at the open space before her. Nothing but empty air greeted her.

“Let me go first.” Raoul urged as he pushed toward the door with a gun in his hand as well.

Nodding in agreement, Aria stepped aside as Raoul cautiously stepped through the doorway with his gun held high. Robert entered next as Doyle pressed a comforting hand against the middle of her back. Glancing up at him she smiled at his silent support. Escaping this place had led her into his arms. It only made sense that he should be with her when she returned.

Moving past the T.V. and couch, she moved through the kitchen as they made their way to the door leading down to the lower level. Many of the stairs were missing in huge gaps. The once polished white walls were charcoal and covered in smears of ash. When they finally made their way to the bottom of the steps they moved with fluid silence.

“Look out!” Raoul warned at the last moment as he and Robert hit the floor as a sparking cable swung from the mutilated ceiling above them. Doyle shoved Aria against the side wall and placed his body in front of her just a second before the sparking cable past over their previous position.

Breathing heavily, Aria glanced up at Doyle with wide eyes. “Thanks.”

Nodding, Doyle edged them around the still crackling and dancing cable until they were out of danger. “What happened here?” He asked as he took in the sight that lay along the hall before them. Bodies of test subjects and soldiers were scattered along the floor. Blood splattered across the walls and floor blended with the dark stains of ash around them.

“Malca must have decided to erase all evidence of this facility.” Raoul commented. “She probably had her goons set a fire with the ones that she had no further use for inside while others that fought back were shot.”

Coming to the branching of the hallway, they stopped. She knew that straight ahead led to the containment cells and possibly more evidence of Malca's senseless massacre. To the right another hallway branched off, leading to other examination rooms, and Malca's personal office. Pointing down the right hall, Raoul turned to meet Aria's gaze.

“Robert and I will go this way. Malca won't still be here, but if her computer was left behind or if any files survived I'll find them.”

Aria nodded with a hard expression. “Doyle and I will go this way and see what we can find.” She replied, pointing down the hall ahead of them. Quietly moving, the four of them separated down each route. Edging around the bodies of more fallen soldiers and scientists, Aria felt Doyle move beside her. His horrified gaze taking in the carnage around them and was unable to find a reason behind this.

“Why would Malca do this? Wouldn't these people be of some use to her?” He asked.

“I don’t think that Malca is the only player in this game, Doyle. Malca is funded by government officials. They could have come to inspect their product and weren't satisfied. Malca was working on something else before I lost my memory and was imprisoned. It was bigger than all of this. Something that she needed me for.” she whispered with a look of confusion. Not all her memories had returned. Deep down she knew there was something she was missing.

“What was it?”

“I can't remember.”

“I thought your memory returned.”

Nodding she glanced away from him as they began to pass the glass cell doors of the prisoners— or what remained of them. “It did. But I can't remember what Malca's end game was. It's like knowing you know someone when you see them again after a length of time, but you can't remember their name. Maybe Raoul will find something to help us out.”

Walking a few feet ahead of her, Doyle came to an abrupt halt outside another cell. His brows furrowed in confusion before turning toward Aria. "You may want to look at this."

Tightening her grip around her gun, she moved to stand beside her mate. Her eyes widened at the site before her. In front of them was the one cell that the raging flames had left untouched. Someone had made certain that this cell was left untouched but why?

“Guess the fire didn’t reach this one.” Doyle mumbled absently. “Wonder why?”

Following the direction of his eyes, her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the cell he stood in front of. “This was mine.” Feeling Doyle’s eyes fall over her but choosing to ignore it she stepped through the open door of her old prison.

Why would Malca leave her cell untouched? Was it meant to be a silent jibe? A message to her that Malca knew she’d be here and discover the evidence of death around them. Pressing her lips into a firm line, Aria struggled to smother her anger. Turning to exit the small cell a flash of color caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Slowly spinning back around, her eyes fell on a red envelope on top of her old cot. Picking it up, she read the small typed words on the front, “
Watch me”.
Was it from Malca? Not taking time to think about it she quickly slid the envelope into her pocket as she stepped back out into the hallway.

“It's about time you showed up.” A soft voice echoed through the cells.

Jerking in surprise at the voice, Aria moved with her gun still aimed looking through each of the glass plated doors. Was there a survivor? Moving down the rows of cells she searched furiously for the owner of the songbird like voice. Doyle walked beside her inhaling scents all around them for a hint of the survivor’s whereabouts. Moving to the end of the cells, they came to what use to be the security room. Thousand of monitors were mounted on the wall and now were riddled with shattered screens. One long white desk took up the side of the room beneath the viewing screens. Stepping into the room, Aria's mouth dropped open at the sight before her. Two soldiers lay dead in the floor by the desk. One was missing a hat while the other was missing both his boots.

Sitting at the viewing desk in a wheeled computer chair was a small thin girl, no older than eighteen. On her head was a dark green camouflage hat, tilted to the side of her head. Long red hair fell past her shoulders and down her back. She was dressed in a white and blue hospital gown that Malca dressed all her test subjects in. On her feet were big black combat boots. A white lab coat was worn over her hospital gown unbuttoned. Sitting with her feet prop up on the desk, the girl turned to grin at Doyle and Aria as she took a bite of a slice of pizza that dangled from her petite fingers.

“Thank God you're here!” She gushed as she dropped her feet to the floor. “I was almost out of pizza.”

“Who are you?” Doyle asked

“I'm Athena.” She stated with annoyance. As if he should have known that. “How are things going with you two?” Cupping a hand against the side of her lips she looked at Doyle and whispered secretively. “Has she forgiven you yet about drugging her, Doyle? If not you may want to hide your honey stash.”

Turning to look at Aria that pointed a gun at her, Athena's face fell for a second before she quickly smiled again. “Hey Arianna, I knew you'd come back for me. By the way; don't worry too much about not becoming a shifter—something more awesome will happen instead.”

Both Aria and Doyle's brows wrinkled with confusion. “How do you know my name?” Doyle asked, breaking the silence. He inhaled the air around them. The girl smelled just like Aria; sweet but deep down he smelled something else. She was a shifter.

Grinning at them, Athena's green eyes began brightly glowing unnaturally. “Malca is coming… and I know where she is.”

Want to find out what happens next?

Look for the continuing story in the
Grizzly Affaires
series in the next book: “Big, Bold and Bearing”