Warrior: The Elect, Book 3 (8 page)

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone Carter trained.”

Martin’s gaze flicked to the man hovering at her back, and he gave a slight nod of acknowledgement—but something cunning moved across his face. He cleared it so fast she wondered if anyone else had noticed.

“I’m surprised to see him so attached to a woman.”

“No,” she said firmly and shook her head before Carter could ruin this interrogation. “You want to indulge your curiosity about your old commander and his personal life, you’ll do it on someone else’s time. Not mine.”

She paused to let that sink in, to let him realize that she was in charge and she wouldn’t be fooled into losing control of the conversation. His gaze reflected respect when he turned back to her. She almost smiled. There was nothing as exhilarating as a warrior who not only respected strength in a woman but knew how to defer to it.

“Livie tells me that the last she heard, you were getting out of your business.” She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to protest. “I know you think I’m one of the bad guys. I know you think she was being held against her will.” She snorted. “The irony of that is…I don’t even have the words.”

He gave her a searching look. “I don’t understand.”

She crossed hands together on top of the table and leaned forward. “I was the one being held prisoner. They hired you with their false little tale so they could get me back and take Livie too.”

She sat back and waited for the explosion. She wasn’t disappointed.

“No! You’re lying.” He turned to Livie. “Baby, uncuff me. I can get us out of here. I can take you somewhere safe.”

“You’ve been deceived,” the security expert finally spoke, but it was clear Martin didn’t believe her. His expression was nothing less than mutinous, furious, and his body was tense as if waiting for an opportunity to escape.

“And so easily fooled,” Brax drawled and approached.

“What’s it to you?” Martin countered belligerently.

Brax stepped forward—powerful, overwhelming, the epitome of an Elect male. Jamie was impressed Martin didn’t shrink back, though he did have enough sense his eyes flashed with indecision and wariness.

“Livie is under my protection. That extends to more than just her safety,” Brax said.

“Livie, but not your interrogator here? Who’s wanted by the Feds, I might add.”

Brax smiled, and it was an ugly, menacing thing. “Jamie has someone to watch over her. Someone I know is worthy of the privilege. Who the hell are you?”

Martin rose slowly to his feet, meeting Brax’s challenge with a determination that made Jamie smile in triumph.

“You won’t keep Livie from me,” he declared softly. “And I’m perfectly capable of protecting her.”

“Hell no.” Livie entered the debate, also rising to her feet while Jamie sat back to enjoy the show.

“I don’t know why you suddenly have this interest in my life, but I can protect myself,” Livie said. She gestured to the other men in the room. “I allow them their delusions because I know where their hearts and their loyalties lie.”

Damn, it was hard for Jamie to hold back her laugh. She really liked this woman.

“You.” Livie huffed. “Well, you are what you are, right? You need to tell us what you know, and I might be able to convince them to let you walk away.”

 
“Walk away?” he asked, low and dangerous. “No way, baby. I
let
you run away once, and the first thing that happened was you got yourself into…something that isn’t normal here. It won’t happen again. You’re
mine
.”

“Is that right? For how long? A night? A week? No thanks.”

He shook his head. “It’s not like that and you know it. You feel it too.”

“And now we’re getting somewhere,” Brax interjected and turned to Livie. “He’s it, isn’t he? And don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Livie looked around the room sullenly, seemingly anywhere but at Brax. Jamie finally stood and took her hand in silent support. “Let us have a minute,” she said to Brax, but he shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Jamie. This is too important.”

“Yeah, it is. You don’t know him like I do. Ask Carter,” Livie said and glared at Martin. “He’s a horndog. I won’t be tied to that.”

“Would someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?” Martin demanded.

“Maybe. After you tell us everything we need to know.” Brax stepped back to casually lean against the wall.

“Livie?” Martin’s question was almost a snarl.

Jamie could see the woman wanted to escape—her body was taut and her gaze held a wild look, but instead she rolled her eyes. “Sit down and answer the damned questions, Martin. I can’t you help now.”

He did so, reluctance in every line of his body—but that didn’t mean anything to Jamie.

“Let’s try again. Who do you think you work for?”

Sighing, he looked at Livie again while reaching for her. Jamie was surprised the other woman placed her hand in one of his, but maybe she shouldn’t have been. It was obvious they were mates, and Jamie knew firsthand how hard it was to fight that bond.

“We were told it was a secret, off-the-books organization investigating domestic terrorists,” he said wryly. “I’ll admit you don’t look much like a terrorist.”

“Thanks, I think.”

“Sure.” He shrugged. “I don’t understand why they said you had Livie if all they wanted was me to find her, though. They didn’t have to say they had a suspect to make it plausible.”

“No, but it is more plausible if they have someone to pin it on.”

“True,” he conceded. “It isn’t one thing in particular that made us start to think something wasn’t quite right. We report to a doctor, which is weird—but hell, covert agents show up in the oddest places.”

“Dr. Stine?” she asked. They already knew he was neck-deep. She’d seen it, and he’d tried to lure Mallory into a trap.

“Yeah.” He nodded and his gaze turned shrewd. “Then there’s the facility itself. The security is paranoid, which makes sense if it’s being used in a covert operation, but Toler and I didn’t have access to certain secured areas. And we’re supposed to be part of the black ops team.” He paused. “We spent more time actually protecting Stine than looking for anyone.”

“Because that’s mostly why you were there.”

“It seemed that way, yes.” He glanced around the room, but no one responded to his statement, so he turned back to Jamie. “And last week there was a security breach. It was very professional. No one killed, but there was a small fire in the lobby. The whispers were some patients escaped, but other than checking everyone leaving at the gate, no alarm went out and no reports were filed. It was you, wasn’t it?” he asked, and there was a growing acceptance in his voice, but she sensed he wasn’t fully with them yet.

He looked at Carter, which rankled. Carter wasn’t the one in charge right now, and she resented Martin turning to a guy. But she let it go. “Sir, kindly tell me what the fuck I’ve been dragged into. And how do I get Livie out?” Martin asked.

Carter sat next to Jamie, draped his arm across the back of her chair and tunneled his fingers into the hair at her nape to gently massage it. “You can’t get Livie out,” he said. “But you may be allowed to stay with her.”

“I can’t believe you’d be involved with terrorists, sir,” Martin said with a hint of bitterness tingeing the disbelief. Carter only smiled.

“We aren’t. We aren’t doing anything illegal. We’re just trying to live in peace and be left alone.”

 
“You can’t. The operation may private. It may be something other than what I was told it is. But it’s very well funded, and some of that funding is military. Most of the government may not know about it, but they have sanctioned it.”

“Some secret element of it, yes,” Jamie said. “And we need to find those people. We need the civilians who are pouring money into it, also.”

“I don’t have those names and I haven’t seen their faces.”

“He’s telling the truth,” she said. Martin scowled. He must have heard the frustration she couldn’t hide.

“I wouldn’t expect a cop to accept that so easily.”

“It’s a knack I have,” she admitted. “I know when I’m being lied to.”

She could tell by his expression that he didn’t believe her, but he gave Carter a commiserating look. “Sucks for you, sir.”

Then he winced and looked at Livie, who’d yanked her hand back and slapped the back of his head.
 

“What?” Martin asked.

“I think you proved my earlier point. You don’t belong here and certainly not with me,” Livie responded.

“Baby, you have to admit,” he said reasonably, placating, “sometimes a little white lie is the better course of action.”

“Give me an example,” she said much too sweetly.

Laughing, Jamie stood. “I think that’s my cue to leave.”

Brax shook his head. “Just a minute.” He turned to Martin. “Can I trust you to stay in the house and not betray us if I let you free?”

Martin considered it a long moment before he nodded. “As long as you don’t keep Livie from me.”

“I won’t force her into contact with you if she doesn’t want it.”

Beside her, Jamie heard Livie sigh in relief until Brax turned his bossy stare on her. “I also won’t let you avoid your mate without giving him a chance. There’s a vacant suite on the third floor. Several, in fact. Take your pick. For the time being, I want you in the house. You two will share a suite.”

He motioned to Carter, who produced the key for the handcuffs and released them when Martin stood still. Jamie expected him to grab Livie and demand to be taken to that suite, but he surprised her. He turned narrowed eyes first on Brax and then Carter.

“Mate? Unusual word choice.”

“Take him to Zach,” Brax ordered Carter. “He’s your man. You’re probably the only one he’ll believe.”

Jamie knew Zach had taken blood samples from both prisoners last night and wondered if either of them were Elect.

“Nope,”
Carter said, surprising her.
“Both human. But Esme was very excited. She said they had markers only seen in Elect so far and rambled about a bridge between species.”

Jamie smiled at the love and affection she heard for his sister in his tone. She really liked the woman, but when Esme started talking genetics, it was so far over Jamie’s head she felt like an idiot. Carter squeezed her hand.

“You’re perfect, sweetheart. Never doubt it.” He turned to Martin. “Have you eaten yet?”

“Yes. But I was serious about needing some water.”

“I’ll find a bottle,” Livie volunteered.

Carter gave her a hard look. “And then you’ll join us in the lab.”

She sighed. “Yes. Fine.”

“Go on,” Jamie told Carter. “We’ll be right behind you.” Or close enough.

She followed Livie to the kitchen. The other woman muttered under her breath with every step. She seemed to come to a decision and looked over her shoulder at Jamie as she yanked a couple bottles out of the commercial-size fridge.

“When the Elect found me, I accepted what I am and I embraced it. Hell, I even realized he’s my mate. But how the hell can Brax expect me to accept a man who not only can’t make a commitment but can’t keep his dick in his pants? How is that good for me or the Elect?”

Jamie wasn’t sure how to answer that. In the end, only Martin would be able to reassure her. “He’s your mate,” she said. “It’s obvious he’s feeling the effects of that. I don’t think you have to worry about it.”

Livie scoffed. “Right. Men don’t change that much. He didn’t utter one word of protest when I left.”

Jamie got the feeling Martin interpreted that event very differently. “He came after you when he thought you were in trouble,” Jamie pointed out instead.

“Yeah,” Livie answered, but she didn’t sound convinced. “Let’s go face the firing squad.”

They found the other men already deep in conversation with Zach and Esme. The look of utter disbelief on Martin’s face was predictable and comical.

“This is insane,” he burst out as she and Livie entered. “Livie, come here. You’ve taken up with madmen.”

Jamie hadn’t seen the other woman use her power before, but the demonstration was enough Jamie was convinced she’d pulled a major muscle in her stomach from laughing. First, the two water bottles zoomed toward Martin. His shock was apparent, but to his credit he caught the bottles. Then they exploded in his hands.

“Shit. Why couldn’t I have got something cool like that?” Jamie asked.

Martin’s eyes were wild as he looked around, but it only took him a couple minutes to regain control. “I can’t do anything like that,” he said.

“No, I wouldn’t think so,” Esme said. “You have some of our markers, but not all. You’re human with some Elect characteristics. I’m betting your IQ is well above average and you’re stronger and faster than most men.”

Jamie looked him over. She was so used to Carter’s overwhelming size she had barely registered Martin’s. He wasn’t quite as tall as most of the Elect males she’d met, but at around six feet two, he sure as hell wasn’t short. And he was powerfully built with broad shoulders and thick muscles.