Chapter Ten
“We didn’t find any sign of an intruder last night,” Landon announced as he stood in the observation room, glowering at the screen to his right. It was a screen that showed Cecelia’s office and the man who reclined on her couch.
Subject Number Five.
He was a tall man, with bright, blond hair and glittering, green eyes. Like Sawyer, he was tall and fit, built along the rough and ready battle lines of a soldier. His posture was relaxed, easy, and he stared at Cecelia with a faint smile curving his full lips.
Elizabeth tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear as she watched Cecelia and her patient. She’d been surprised when Landon had brought her into the observation room. The room was filled with different monitors, but, right then, the only monitor working was the one that showed Five’s session. “The shrink thinks the guy in her room wasn’t an outsider. She thinks it’s possible he was one of the test subjects.” Tread carefully, Elizabeth.
“Highly unlikely. Actually, I’m starting to think the whole thing was a false alarm.” Impatience hummed in his voice. “Wright said she was the best psychiatrist out there, that she’d be able to perfectly monitor the subjects, but this is the second time she’s jumped at shadows.”
Not just any shadow. A man who was watching her.
“I looked into her past.”
Her head turned toward Landon in surprise. Now he was spying on the shrink who worked for him?
His gaze was on the screen—on Cecelia. “You know, there’s often a reason why people enter their particular fields.” Now he glanced at Elizabeth. “Take you, for example. We both know you created Lazarus because of your parents. You became obsessed with death, and your obsession changed the whole course of your life.”
She felt heat sting her cheeks. He was right on target with her.
His left hand waved vaguely toward her. “In many ways, Cecelia is like you. So colored by her past. By the things that happened to her. There is plenty of darkness in her personal history. And that darkness came back for her. I think it’s plagued her since she was a teenager, and it makes her jump at shadows.”
“I don’t understand.” Actually, she did, but she didn’t like the coy share-a-few-details-only game that the guy was playing. If he knew something specific about Cecelia, Elizabeth needed Landon to spill the information.
“When she was fifteen, Cecelia was kidnapped. She was taken right off the street. Held for twenty-four hours and then she escaped.”
“How?”
“She shoved a knife into her abductor’s throat. That’s the how part.”
Surprise rocked through Elizabeth. Cecelia appeared so delicate—
“And then she dedicated her life to understanding the darkness of the human mind.” He paused. “I’m not a shrink, but I figure a woman with her past would have a certain amount of bad dreams or flashbacks.”
Her brows lifted. “You’re saying she had a flashback last night?”
“I’m saying we found zero evidence to suggest that anyone was in her quarters.” His voice hardened. “And if this behavior continues, I’ll have no choice but to recommend that Wright replace her. We can’t afford distractions like this.” He gave her a nod and then headed from the room.
Elizabeth exhaled slowly. Cecelia’s fear had been real, she knew it. She also knew that if Sawyer could get out of his cell, then some of the other subjects could, too.
And that scared her.
I came here to help these men but…
What if some of them were too dangerous to help? She had to tell Cecelia the truth about Lazarus. Every twisted part of the truth.
***
“You have shadows under your eyes,” Five said as his gaze swept over her face. It was a stare that often seemed a bit cold to Cecelia. He lifted one blond brow at her. “Rough night?”
She was sitting behind her desk. Her back was ramrod straight. And her palms were damp with sweat. “We’re not here to talk about me.”
Five gave a little laugh. It was a deep, rumbling laugh. One that she was sure—in another life and another time—plenty of women had found sexy. Five was sexy. He was handsome and fit, and when he smiled, deep slashes appeared in his cheeks. He always said the right thing when she questioned him, always acted perfectly in control but…
There was something about him that set off alarm bells within her. Maybe because he always seemed too in control.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to step out of line.” His laughter ended, but the faint grin still curled his lips. “Forgot this was all about me and my mental health.” His body still appeared relaxed. “Any news on our next mission?”
“I’m not usually briefed on the missions.” She learned about them after the fact. Landon had told her the mission intel came on a need-to-know basis. And, apparently, he thought that she didn’t need to know about them. Landon was wrong. Then again, she figured he was wrong about plenty of things. “But the missions…” Cecelia cleared her throat. “You enjoy them, don’t you?”
His smile stretched. “I was made for them.” Again, laughter spilled from him. “I mean, that’s why we are all here, right? Why we volunteered for the program?” There was just the faintest emphasis on volunteered, and her eyes narrowed. “We wanted to be the baddest of the bad, and in return for that, we had to give up our freedom.” The smile didn’t reach his eyes. She didn’t think that it ever did. “That was the price, wasn’t it? But I don’t expect to pay that price forever.” He straightened. “One day, the guy in charge will see what a total success this project has been. We’ll pass all of his tests, jump through all of his hoops, and then we’ll all be able to walk away. Free and clear. There won’t be any more checks-in with shrinks.” His gaze hardened, just the faintest bit. “Or nights spent in rooms that resemble prison cells.”
He’s planning for his freedom. That should have been a good sign. He was looking forward to the next step in his life. He was—
His bright stare slid over her once more. “I’ll miss you.” His voice dropped. He rose and stalked toward her desk.
Cecelia stiffened. She started to rise but—he was there. Already. So fast. Standing on the opposite side of her desk, but still seeming to tower over her.
“Maybe I’ll just have to plan for more visits with you.”
This time, she could have sworn that his grin held a cruel edge.
More visits.
She shot to her feet. “What do you—”
The alarm on her desk beeped, signaling the end of her session. The quick, fast beep made her flinch.
He didn’t look away from her. “Time’s up.” Five gave her a little salute. “Thanks for a great chat, Dr. Gregory. Always a pleasure.” Then he turned and sauntered toward the door. “I’ll send in the next patient.”
The door clicked closed behind him. Cecelia realized that her heart was racing too fast. She was on her feet, and her hands were gripping the edge of her desk. Her gaze jerked to the security camera perched in her office. Five’s comments had been so careful. He’s always so careful. There was never any wrong word spoken from him. Was she being too sensitive? Or was there something she was missing? Was—
Her door opened, and her next patient walked inside.
“Hi, there, Cece.”
Subject Number Two. Two’s brown hair was tousled, as if he’d run his fingers through it time and time again. He probably had. She knew he didn’t like coming to the meetings with her. His eyes—an unusual shade of pure gold—swept the room before coming back to her, and then—
He was across her office in an instant. “What’s wrong?” When he’d first entered the room, his voice had been light, teasing. That was Two—always putting on the front. And she knew it was a front. But for the first time, she could see a crack in his armor. She could see the warrior that she knew him to be. His face had gone iron-hard, and his golden gaze blazed. “What the hell happened?”
She was still gripping the edge of her desk too hard. Cecelia forced herself to let it go. “Nothing, nothing happened.” She sucked in a deep breath. “We should get started.” Cecelia motioned toward her couch. “You know the drill. Why don’t you sit down and we can talk about—”
He didn’t sit down. Instead, he walked around the edge of her desk and came right beside her. Far closer than any of the subjects had ever been before. Close enough for her to smell his crisp, masculine scent, close enough for her to feel the heat from his body.
Close enough…to make her afraid. Her hand flew up and pressed to his chest. “Stop!” The command came out sharp and scared.
Two looked down at her hand, and then back up at her face. “You don’t need to be afraid of me.”
I think I do. Because while Landon might believe that she’d imagined her late night visitor—yes, Cecelia had seen the doubt in the guy’s eyes—she knew the truth.
Someone at Lazarus was hunting her. She’d been hunted before, and the terror was familiar to her.
***
Flynn. Elizabeth’s hand lifted and pressed to the screen. She’d known Flynn Haddox was at Lazarus, but this was the first time she’d actually seen him since…
Since the day everything turned to ashes around me.
Flynn Haddox. He’d been Sawyer’s best friend. His right hand man. Flynn had always worn a ready smile on his face, and he’d quipped jokes constantly.
He wasn’t quipping jokes any longer. In fact, he was far too close to Cecelia, and if Elizabeth read the shrink’s body language right…
She’s afraid of him.
Oh, hell. Enough. Cecelia couldn’t keep dealing with the subjects without knowing the truth—and without knowing the true danger that she faced. “I need to get in there,” Elizabeth said. A guard stood a few feet away, a man who’d been silently watching the entire session with her. Apparently, Landon always made sure a guard watched Cecelia’s sessions. Elizabeth had learned that fact this morning.
“Sorry, ma’am, but we don’t go in unless there’s a damn good reason. Landon’s orders.”
What? Two was scaring Cecelia—that was reason enough for Elizabeth.
“Physical confrontation,” the guard said gruffly, as his shoulders squared. “That’s when I go inside. I have my orders, ma’am.”
Screw his orders. She’d just take matters into her own hands. Elizabeth hurried out of that damn room without another word. She headed straight for Cecelia’s office. When she got there, Elizabeth immediately threw open the door. “Get away from her!”
Only…
Two—Flynn—wasn’t anywhere near Cecelia. The shrink was behind her desk, sitting in her chair, appearing completely poised, while Flynn was lounging on the couch.
But at Elizabeth’s very loud interruption, Flynn jumped to his feet. His hands fisted at his sides, and he immediately moved his body…between Elizabeth and Cecelia. As if he’d protect the psychiatrist.
“Who in the hell are you?” Flynn demanded roughly.
“I—”
His eyes widened as he stepped closer to her. Elizabeth saw his nostrils flare and then his lips curved the faintest bit. “I know you…” His voice dropped.
He did? He remembered her?
“You’re…his.”
Flynn’s voice had been so low, she wasn’t sure she’d even heard that last word.
“Dr. Parker!” Cecelia hurried across the office. “What is going on? You can’t burst into a session this way!”
Right. This looked bad. She’d overreacted, but, jeez, better safe than sorry, right? “I thought you were in trouble.” Flynn’s hands had unfisted, but his body was still tight with tension. She studied him carefully, seeing no sign of the quipping, laid-back guy he’d been before Lazarus. His face seemed harder, his gaze sharper.
“Cecelia is in no danger from me.” Flynn rolled back his shoulders. “Haven’t you heard? Uh, what was your name? Dr. Parker? We’re the good guys here at Lazarus. We go out and we save the day. We do the dirty jobs that the government doesn’t want anyone else to ever know about.” He smiled, but it wasn’t a smile she remembered. Far too cold. He’s changed. “And in return, we get to live in this glorious facility. A true hole in the ground.”
“I think we should end our session for today,” Cecelia announced quickly. “Two, you have a workout scheduled for ten a.m., anyway—”
He glanced back at her. “Been memorizing my schedule again, have you? See, I knew you were into me.”
And there it was—in the light tone of his voice—for just a moment, Elizabeth glimpsed the man he’d been.
But then his golden gaze swept back to Elizabeth, and she saw the light tone was a total lie. His expression was flat and cold. He stared at her as if—as if she were the enemy.
“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth’s words blurted from her before she could stop them. But she was sorry—sorry for all of this and she just wanted to make things better. Was that even possible? Could it be possible?
Flynn closed the distance between them. He wasn’t quite as tall as Sawyer, but he was very close, and she had to tip back her head to stare into his eyes. “Now just what would you be apologizing for, Dr. Parker?”
“I—”
“Back the fuck away.”
The cold, snarling words came from right behind Elizabeth. Her shoulders stiffened because she recognized the angry voice—she was pretty sure she’d know Sawyer’s voice anywhere. Anytime.
Flynn immediately lifted his hands and displayed them—palms out—toward her. No, toward the man behind me. “There’s no problem here, One. Just a little curiosity.” More than a little curiosity glinted in Flynn’s eyes.
He walked past Elizabeth, taking his time, and she turned as he passed. Sawyer was in the doorway, and a guard waited just a few feet behind him. Odd, though, that Sawyer had been the one to shout the order. Not the nervous-looking guard.
And Flynn had immediately obeyed. The hierarchy was clear to Elizabeth.
Sawyer stepped closer to her. His fingers brushed down her arm. “You okay, doc?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
He shook his head, and she knew he was calling her on the lie. “I’m going to run training exercises with the team. You should come. You might find them…enlightening.”
She’d watched him train before, back in D.C., and she’d found the sight frightening even back then, but he was trying to give her a message, she knew it. He wanted her at the training, so, fine, she’d be there. “I’ll be sure to check in.”
His gaze held hers for a few moments longer, and she could feel the tension between them like a physical presence. Even before he’d spoken, ordering Flynn to stand down, her body had tensed. She’d known he was behind her, without a word. Instinctively. That was crazy but—
The connection between them hadn’t ended when he’d died or when he’d come back from the grave. It was as strong and terrifying as ever.
Sawyer inclined his head to her, and then he turned away.
Sawyer and Flynn strode down the hallway. The guard stayed close behind them. Elizabeth hurriedly shut the door to Cecelia’s office, and her gaze shot to the video camera. The video camera. Shit, shit. She and Cecelia needed to talk, but not there. Elizabeth couldn’t risk someone witnessing their conversation. And she knew there was a guard still positioned in the control room.
We have to go somewhere else. I have to tell her the truth.
***
When Sawyer and Two entered the training room, the others were already there, stretching, warming up. Getting ready for the workout that could be so brutal.
They were supposed to push their limits in these workouts. To see exactly what they could do. Normally, the men held back, on Sawyer’s order. Keep some secrets from the doctors and our handlers. Just until we figure out what is happening.
Because Sawyer knew the folks in charge at Lazarus were keeping secrets from him and his team. So it only seemed fair that he and his team held onto their secrets, too.
Two headed toward the locker room. The guards who’d been tailing them finally stood the hell down. About time. But none of the guards were allowed past the entrance room in the training area. The guards on surveillance duty were told to line the walls and observe. Landon’s rules. The guards never interrupted. Not in that space.
Sawyer followed Two toward the locker room, and as soon as they were inside, he shoved the guy against the nearest wall. “I warned you.”
Two grinned at him. “Dr. Parker’s pretty, but not really my type. You know that I have a thing for the shrink. I think it’s the red hair—”
He wasn’t buying the grin and the easy voice. Two wore a mask all the time, Sawyer had figured that shit out early. “You scared her.”
Two’s grin faded.
“You’re gonna pay for that today.” It was a grim promise.
***
“I had the scene under control,” Cecelia said as she lifted her chin. “Didn’t need you rushing in.”
They were back in the women’s locker room, the only place that Elizabeth thought was safe for a one-on-one chat. Safe, for the time being.
“You didn’t need to interrupt, Dr. Parker, because despite what happened last night, I am not prone to panic and—”
“That’s good,” Elizabeth cut in swiftly. “Because I’m panicky enough for us both.”
Cecelia’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You need to know the truth about Lazarus.” She didn’t see any video cameras. Just like last time, the place seemed clear. “The program is not what you think. Those men—they didn’t volunteer.”
But Cecelia shook her head. “You’re wrong. I wouldn’t be here if this wasn’t a voluntary program. Yes, the men are housed in rooms that are closely monitored but—”
“The dead can’t volunteer.” The words fell heavily from Elizabeth.
Cecelia blinked. “Um, what?”
“You heard me.” Elizabeth paced closer to her. “The dead can’t volunteer. These men—they didn’t volunteer. They didn’t ask for this. They didn’t—”
Cecelia’s expression had turned considering. “Have you been feeling stressed, doctor?”
Elizabeth locked her back teeth. “Hell, yes,” she snapped. “I have been because I made Lazarus.”
The shrink didn’t speak, but her expression still clearly said she thought Elizabeth might be in need of a session with her—a session or twenty.
“The Lazarus formula brings back the dead.” Elizabeth spoke quickly, because there was no time to waste or mince words. “I had success in the lab, with rats, and Wyman Wright wanted to test on humans.”
Cecelia shook her head. “No, that’s not even possible—”
“It’s very possible, but I’m not going to run through the formula and the regeneration process right now—we don’t have time.” They’d be missed by Landon soon enough. “If the test subject is preserved properly and if the Lazarus formula is injected correctly, reanimation occurs with the subject. But I only tested on rats. And there were side effects—”
The shrink’s face darkened. “What kind of side effects?” She gave a short, brittle laugh. “Wait. Just, hold up. Say I believe this story—I’m not saying that, but, hypothetically—what exactly, were the side effects?”
“Increased aggression. It wasn’t present in all of the lab rats, but it did manifest in some. Those rats—they attacked the others. They killed some of them. I warned both Landon and Wright about this side effect, I told them that we were far, far away from any human testing, but they didn’t listen to me.”
Cecelia bit her lower lip. “Were the human test subjects made aware of the risks?”
“They weren’t aware of anything! That’s what I’m trying to explain. They didn’t volunteer. They died. Sawyer Cage and Flynn Haddox—Subject One and Subject Two—they were killed while on a covert mission. They were never informed about the Lazarus formula. Wright made the decision to bring them into the program without their consent. They never—”
“You’re lying,” Cecelia’s voice was flat. Spots of red stained her cheeks. “I don’t know why you’re lying. Why you’re coming to me and spinning this story, but it isn’t true.”
Elizabeth had to make the other woman believe her. “I get that the idea of bringing the dead back sounds crazy, but it can be done. It has been done. The test subjects you see were killed in action, and they were brought into the program by Wright. They never agreed to any of this!”
Cecelia’s delicate jaw hardened. “Yes, they did. I’ve seen the videos.” She shook her head. “Do you think I’d be here, watching the men be kept in these particular living conditions, if I didn’t have proof they’d volunteered for this experiment?”
“Videos?” Elizabeth repeated blankly. “What videos?”
“The videos that show the test subjects agreeing to take part in Project Lazarus.” Cecelia huffed out a breath. “I don’t appreciate being lied to, Dr. Parker. I’m not sure what your agenda is here, but I want no part of it.” She straightened her shoulders. “And I will be informing Landon about this conversation.”
What?
Cecelia marched away. She yanked open the locker room door and didn’t look back as she exited.
The videos that show the test subjects agreeing to take part in Project Lazarus.
But, no, that wasn’t possible. Sawyer hadn’t volunteered. He hadn’t even known about Project Lazarus when they’d been together in D.C.
Had he?