Chapter Nineteen
Lucan could smell Jamie all over as he pulled up out in front of the large brick building on his bike. The area itself was run-down, with the neighboring buildings abandoned, their windows boarded up.
Nikon stopped his car close behind. He hopped out.
It was hard to miss the huge antenna array atop the building in front of them. Lucan didn’t have to be a technical expert to see how out of place it was in this neighborhood.
“I think we found the original source of the mind-control signal,” Lucan said, and growled.
“We should wait for Cato,” Nikon said.
Lucan wasn’t listening to that shit. His woman was inside, and like hell he was going to wait for them to make their way over. It might be too late by that point.
The hybrid stomped up to the front door. He didn’t even pull out his gun. He was going to dispose of whoever had taken Jamie with his bare hands.
He slammed his foot through the front door and stepped into the large room. No gun fire or Glycons, but there were dozens of people standing around.
None of them looked his way, or gave any indication they even noticed him. Poor mind-controlled bastards. Statues he could deal with.
He could hear Nikon enter behind him. “So much for waiting for reinforcements.”
Lucan spotted Jamie in the back of the room on a couch, some bastard laying on top of her. He narrowed his eyes.
“Help me,” Jamie whimpered to a woman standing over them.
The woman didn’t move.
Lucan unleashed the inner beast. All the anger and fear made its way to the surface as he roared.
The man sat up and stared at him from across the room, his eyes wide, as if suddenly realizing the heap of shit he was in.
After a moment, his expression turned amused, which only pissed off Lucan more. The man grinned at him.
“Finally,” he said, and climbed off Jamie.
She pulled herself to the other side of the couch.
“Secure him,” he said loudly to the room.
Lucan frowned. Just who the hell did this guy think he was?
“The people,” Nikon whispered.
All the living statues started moving. Lucan let out a loud roar. Mind control or not, he could easily take out this room of people.
“Don’t kill them,” Nikon said. “Remember, they’re victims, too.”
Lucan scowled. If he couldn’t go all out, it was going to make things far more difficult than he planned.
A man sprinted at him with surprising speed, just like the woman in the alley, maybe not as fast as a hybrid, but almost super human. More fast zombies.
Lucan grabbed the charging man and tossed him aside. He slammed into a box and collapsed to the ground.
Nikon frowned at him.
“What?” Lucan said. “I didn’t kill him.”
More charged now.
Lucan sighed and grappled with a woman in front of him as another came at him from behind. He knocked the woman to the ground with a leg sweep and shoved the other away.
A scream ripped through the room as the man grabbed Jamie by the neck and put an odd, slender gun to her head.
“Aaron, just let me go,” she cried.
Aaron. A.J. Kinkaid. They had to be one in the same. It was the only way it all made sense.
“Let her go,” Lucan shouted. “Or I’ll tear you to pieces, you bastard.”
Aaron laughed. “She’s too good for you.”
Lucan frowned and tossed off another mind-controlled human.
He glanced over to Nikon, who was wrestling with several men.
“I’ve got this,” Nikon said. “Go save her.”
Lucan nodded and moved through the people who lined the path, shoving and punching. He might be breaking a bone or two, but they’d survive.
“You think a creature like you is good enough for her?” Aaron shouted. “You filthy hybrid scum?”
Lucan tossed another man out of the way. “I know I’m not,” he growled. “But I want to be.”
Aaron laughed and moved farther back against the wall with Jamie, gun still pressed to her neck.
Lucan heard Nikon shout, and he turned just in time to see the hybrid fall after being struck in the back of the head. He kicked backward, knocking his attacker against a stack of boxes, but several others tackled him.
“They’re stronger this way, and faster,” Aaron said, reclaiming Lucan’s attention. “Not as strong and fast as you, but at least they’re still human.”
“You son of a bitch.”
“I’ll never let you have her,” Aaron spat out. “She’s mine. She was always supposed to be mine.” His face contorted in rage. “Then you came and ruined it all. You came and soiled my beautiful woman.” He ran a finger along her cheek. Jamie jerked her head in the other direction away from his touch. “But not anymore. Now she’s all mine.”
Aaron pulled the gun from her neck and aimed it directly at Lucan. He squeezed off a shot, the noise not as loud as Lucan expected.
Lucan dropped instantly. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t how he was supposed to go out.
He could hear Jamie screaming nearby, but it was quickly drowned out by a loud buzz.
The cacophony echoed in his head, and he collapsed to the floor. Pain wracked his body.