Invidious Betrayal (41 page)

The time spent on the plane to DC did nothing to calm Ian. It was the end of business hours when he walked into the lobby of HowlTech, but that didn’t explain why the building was so deserted. At the front desk where Hillary, the information receptionist, usually sat until 5:30 were two security guards and four of his uncle’s private hired guns. The two security guards he knew wore their customary stun guns while the hired guns carried semi-automatics. Ian scanned his surroundings and noted the security camera as it tracked him.

He needed to get to the elevators but he didn’t need an armed escort.

“Mr. Howl,” one of the private guards said, as he stepped in Ian’s path.

As Ian moved forward he pulled the private guard to him to use as a shield. The security guards nervously aimed the stun gun at Ian’s chest. The one named Abel gave Ian a sorry shrug.

The private guard continued talking but didn’t fight Ian’s hold, “I understand you’re angry, but what you need to do is take a few breaths and get your head together. We’d prefer not to restrain you.”

They had prepared for a confrontation so Ian wouldn’t disappoint. He didn’t break his confident stride and didn’t flinch when the stun gun probes came at him and his captive. He leaned his shoulder back, turning his torso sideways, avoiding the impact of the prongs. Ian moved so fast that the probes hadn’t hit the floor before he grabbed the device from Abel’s hand, and knocked him out with it. He threw the device directly at Bob, the other payroll guard who moved from behind the desk, hitting him on the head. Ian had decided not to critically hurt the employees of HowlTech. He knew those men and was pretty sure they weren’t involved in this mess other than being blind accomplices who probably needed their jobs.

Ian grabbed the hand of the man he held as he was reaching for his weapon. He applied pressure so the man’s bones crushed around the handle of the gun. The man cried out as he tried desperately to get free of Ian’s hold. But Ian held him steady, using the man’s body to create a barrier between him and the other three men who he knew weren’t carrying stun guns. Ian wrapped his other arm around the man’s neck, effectively shielding himself.

He’d seen these private guards before, knew some of their names, but today they were his enemies. Today these men stood in the way of what he wanted, what he needed more than anything else in the world.

Ian turned his head slightly, using his sensitive hearing to determine if anyone was sneaking up on him, while he kept his eyes pinned on the three assholes that slowly approached with their weapons drawn. He backed up toward the elevators with his human shield.

“We have orders to take you down if you don’t come along calmly,” one of the men grunted, “even if that means shooting you, Mr. Howl.”

At the elevators, Ian used the gun he still held in his captive’s crushed hand to press the down button. The man continued to moan in pain. Ian placed his finger over the man’s finger that was still on the trigger. “Thanks,” Ian said, “that makes shooting you all that much easier.” Six shots rang out consecutively. Shocked grunts and cries filled the silence as Ian pushed the man in his arms down to the floor, keeping possession of the gun. The guy tried to push away but Ian unloaded two more bullets, hitting him in the knee caps just like he’d done to the other three.

Stepping into the empty elevator, Ian simultaneously pressed the two buttons that would take him to the basement level where a hidden rear door of the elevator would open. The ride was short and when the door opened, he pressed his body to the side wall. Hiding behind the button panel with his finger pressed on the button that held the elevator doors open, he took a deep breath.

Ian was unable to see around corners, so he had to use his ears to determine if someone was there. He really hadn’t made much use of his new hearing ability; but the few times he did, it had been to listen in on Aria talking with his family. The fact that he was relying on an unpolished ability now was crazy, he had few options but was rewarded with the information he needed. There were two, maybe three rapid heartbeats in the corridor to his right where the labs and medical facilities were located. His uncle’s office was straight ahead and unguarded.

Odd
, Ian thought.

To the left were a few offices, storage, and two conference rooms.
To the right then
. He took three deep breaths, shifted his stance then Ian made his move.

Raising his hand and just imagining a simple push, Ian sent the first armed man flying into the air like a projectile, landing in the hall where his uncle’s office was. Ian liked the results, but thought he would need to work with the level of intensity at some point. Another man raised a gun and pointed it at him.

Guess the ‘bring him alive’ policy has been revoked
.

Ian swiped his hand to the side. An invisible force slammed the man into the wall with punishing force, causing him to drop the gun. As Ian sped pass the man’s crumpled form, he kicked the weapon away, then turned to look behind him to locate the possible third man.

A wave of fear ripped through Ian as he focused on the hard compassionless eyes that stared back at him, mere inches away. Ian swung his arm that still held the gun up, but his hesitation was enough to ensure his failure, and he knew it as the slight smile twitched at the edge of Jasper’s lips.

Ian felt a searing pressure in his chest as Jasper grabbed him. He dropped the gun. Then a sharp stinging pain sizzled through his body, causing him to shake violently to the floor. His limbs lay limp as the pain increased and his vision blurred. Jumbled babbling and the chattering of his own teeth was all Ian heard before his lids reluctantly closed over his eyes.

Jasper stood over Ian for a moment, trying to take in what he just witnessed. His mind was reeling. The kid had wielded some kind of telekinetic power. A power neither he nor Vincent knew about.

Did
Vincent know about it? No, he shook his head.

Vincent couldn’t have known. They both thought Ian had some strength—the kid was faster than the average person—but they’d never assumed the kid was as strong and as fast as they were. Ian was obviously good at hiding shit, because Jasper was sure he would have noticed him holding back.

I should have known.

What Jasper had known was that Ian was quick, learned fast, and could take a muted hit from him, but that Ian was non-confrontational and a bit of a pussy when it came to the hard choices. Hard choices like taking your opponent out and crippling him in the process. Ian didn’t have that killer instinct. That Ian was nothing like the Ian Jasper had encountered at the rest stop and especially now.

Vincent had long assumed that the serum had affected Ian differently; the kid was a goddamn genius. But the kid obviously had other attributes which made things a little more interesting. Jasper wondered what else Ian was hiding.

A grunt from one of the men he commanded made Jasper sigh with frustration. He looked at the gun Ian had dropped, crouched down and picked it up. He momentarily thought to shoot the son of a bitch moaning down the hall along with the owner of the gun, but he might need the fucks if the kid woke up before he was ready to deal with him.

Admitting to himself that he might need help pissed Jasper off, but again, he wasn’t an idiot. You can lie to anyone and everyone, but he wasn’t able to lie to himself. He’d tried back in the day, and it didn’t work for shit.

Letting out a deep breath, Jasper tucked the gun in the back waistline of his jeans and looked over at Ian’s unconscious form again. Not in the mood for bullshit, he tasered the kid again—just for fun. Jasper still felt the sting from when Ian throat punched him at the rest stop.

He patted down Ian’s body, found a little black pouch that he removed and slid into his back pocket, then hoisted the kid’s twitching body over his shoulder. “Take that idiot with you,” he grunted to his man who was just waking up, “and join the others in medical four.” Jasper stalked toward medical two.

He typed in the code on the panel next to the door frame. A yellow light flashed several times then turned green. The door unsealed and swung open.

“What did you do to him?” Vincent rushed forward and peeled Ian off of him.

Jasper glanced at Aria who lay sleeping in the bed as he made his way across the room and planted his ass on the sofa against the wall. “What the hell I had to,” he growled. He pulled out the gun he had tucked in his waist, emptied the clip and the bullet in the chamber before reassembling it. Jasper laid the weapon on the table in front of him and slid the ammunition in his back pocket. He tossed the stun gun on the table next to the gun, then focused on Vincent.

“Your nephew can move shit with his mind.”

Vincent had seated Ian in a chair and was checking his vitals. He had one of the kid’s lids lifted and flashed a small light back and forth. “What?” Vincent asked, sounding uncharacteristically anxious and disbelieving.

“The Kid Can Move Shit With His Mind.” Each word was precise and singled out in case the intelligent Dr. Howl didn’t get or understand it.

Vincent stood up straight and turned toward him. “What are you talking about?” he asked, frowning.

“You shouldn’t stand so close to him,” Jasper warned. Vincent gave him a skeptical glare before he flew across the room into the side table, landing on the wall next to the bed Aria still slept soundly in. Jasper looked at Vincent’s crumbled form. “I tried to tell you.” He chuckled.

Vincent slowly got to his feet; Jasper assumed the wind had gotten knockout of him.

The gun on the table in front of Jasper catapulted across the room into Ian’s waiting hand. Jasper relaxed in his seat. He was asked to get the kid here alive, and he had. That meant he was pretty much off the clock, and to be honest, he wanted to find out how the kid could do that little parlor trick before confronting him.

Ian pointed the gun at Jasper and eyed him suspiciously. Ian’s other hand was raised toward Vincent, effectively pinning him half on the wall and half on the nightstand.

Jasper heard the rhythmic dripping of the water that spilled to the floor from the pitcher on the nightstand, the hum of the medical machines, and Ian’s heart beating. He also heard the girl’s heartbeat and noted how much stronger it was from what it had been when he’d taken her.

He turned his head to check on Vincent’s status. His friend’s wide eyes were fixed on Ian. It was a look of pure fascination and awe. Jasper could see the wheels turning inside Vincent’s head. His old friend was foolish. He clearly wasn’t afraid. His lazy heartbeat was proof of that. If Vincent knew the details of Carlos’ death maybe he wouldn’t be looking at his nephew like a proud…

Jasper narrowed his eyes and tilted his head as he studied Vincent’s face. Damn. Vincent actually loved the kid.

He and Vincent had accepted that anger, a constant disquiet, and self-preservation were all they had left of their emotions. Day by day, week by week, year by year all their emotions had withered away like summer leaves that fell with the coming of fall. Only the relationships prior to the serum held strong like an unbreakable tie, so how could Vincent feel that much for the kid?

Jasper turned his attention back to Ian. If he wasn’t so fucked up, he might have felt something for the kid too. He held no real ill will toward him; Ian was everything he admired. Strong, determined, fearless, and deadly—and those were just some of the traits that were at the top of the ‘Guys I’d want to cover my back’ list. Not to mention the little fucker retained his emotions and somehow hid them and his abilities. Ian was bad ass, and Jasper could admit it now. Thing was, Jasper was no slouch, and he wanted something Ian had. It was something apparently neither of them had a problem fighting for.

It was a shame his friend loved the kid. But in the big scheme of things, Jasper knew he couldn’t depend on Vincent to make the right decision. They were one and the same, they were. Even before the serum, way back when they were in high school, he and Vincent had approached problems differently, but had always come to the same conclusion. And the conclusion to this little experiment was that the precious, young lady was communal property once that baby was born.