Chapter Seven
Lara glanced at the men as they stood just outside the room, talking. She could see Magnus clearly, and her heart beat wildly in her chest. He was far more handsome than she remembered before. He was pretty much the definition of tall, dark and handsome.
“You sure have weird taste,” Nyx said.
She blushed when she quickly turned around to the other woman.
“I don’t know,” she started, but stopped when Nyx raised a brow. Lara turned a brighter shade of red and looked away.
“Let’s maybe not run her off just yet,” Jenna said dryly and eyed Nyx.
The tanned woman shrugged, and her hair slipped to the side a little, revealing a silver strip. Lara nearly gasped when the other woman looked at her with the same bright blue eyes. She was one of them.
Lara opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it. What was she going to say? That she didn’t think there were any women? She’d assumed they would be a lot like the Luna Lodge hybrids, and their lack of women was well known, but Rem and Magnus had already said his group wasn’t totally like the other. This was just one of those ways.
“Whatever. If she likes the strong and angry type, that’s on her,” Nyx said.
Jenna sighed and shook her head.
Lara stared at them both for a moment before laughing loudly. She laughed until her sides hurt, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
“How hard did she hit her head?” Nyx asked and gave Jenna a look that said she thought Lara was losing it.
And maybe she was. Everything about today had been a roller coaster of emotions. Now she was being told that just outside her little town lived the hybrids everyone had been talking about, and they all might be in danger by association. It was about as out there as she could get. She might as well have discovered aliens. Really handsome aliens.
Lara wiped a hand along her eyes and tried to gain some composure back.
“Sorry,” she said and took a deep breath.
Another giggle threatened to pop back up when she peeked at Nyx. The small woman was staring at her like she was two steps away from putting her in a white jacket.
“It’s just been a little more than I expected,” Lara said and took another breath. “I never imagined I’d stumble on to something like this.”
When she’d calmed a bit more, Lara looked at the two women.
“So are you both hybrids?” she asked.
Nyx gave a small smile. “I’m the only lucky one here.”
She could sense the bit of sadness that came with saying it, and wondered if Nyx didn’t want to just be human. Given that they said the Horatius Group had imprisoned and experimented on them, their lives had already been filled with a lot of pain.
“We have five women here,” Jenna said. “They are the only women hybrids we’ve ever heard of.”
Lara nodded. This was a big find. She was sitting on the find of a century. This was the kind of thing that could launch a reporter’s career into orbit.
She sighed.
Too bad she wasn’t that kind of person. She couldn’t just turn all this over without thinking.
“What were you doing in the woods?”
She jumped at the sound of Rem behind her. They had come back in so quietly she hadn’t even heard them.
Magnus walked to the other side of Rem and leaned against the wall. An older man came and sat next to Jenna.
“I told him,” she said and looked over to Magnus. “I was watching the Azilian compound.”
Rem stared directly at her. It was hard to tell by his expression just what he was thinking.
“Why were you watching them?” the older man asked. Given his size and eyes, he didn’t seem to be a hybrid.
She blinked a few times. There didn’t seem like much a point in holding back, considering they had more to lose than she did.
“There’s something going on over there,” she said and leaned forward. “For the last few months, they have been sending armored trucks up there. They stay for a day or two and then leave again. Few days later another one will come. It’s pretty damn suspicious.”
Rem frowned. The fact that he didn’t seem to know what was going on didn’t exactly make her feel better. She’d still assumed the hybrids had some sort of connection with the activity, given the timing of their arrival.
“What are they doing?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Not sure. I went up there to find out. Most of the people who join are pretty nice. Crazy, but nice. That’s why no one’s much bothered them.”
She glanced around the room and wondered just how crazy they were, considering she was in a room with several hybrids.
Lara continued. “The truck guys, not so much. The one that was there outside the compound looked like he’d done hard time somewhere and was about five steps away from doing it again.”
The old man’s face grew worried. She could have sworn she recognized the old man from somewhere, but couldn’t quite place him.
“This could be trouble,” he said to Rem. “I doubt they are bringing in prayer beads in those trucks.”
Rem nodded and turned to Magnus. “When will the sensors be up and running?”
Magnus paused for a moment in thought. “We could have it up tomorrow. Might be a good chance to have a little one-on-one time with Marcus.”
The anger was clear in his voice, but Rem still nodded.
“Do it,” he said and looked to Jenna and the older man. “Major, you and Jenna do a little digging. Find out where their money is going.”
The older man frowned. “You know I’m not—”
Rem smiled and held up his hands. “Old habits die hard, Carter.”
It wasn’t much of an apology, but the older man seemed to accept it.
Major Carter? It sounded familiar. The memory dam broke, and she remembered that Major Carter was, until recently, the government liaison for the Luna Lodge hybrids.
“Nyx, we need a watch started,” Rem said. She nodded her understanding.
Rem stood and looked around the table. “I need this done with the utmost of care. The last thing we need right now is panic in the group. People are just starting to adjust.”
Everyone stood to start their duties, but Rem stayed standing next to her, his green eyes fixed on where she sat.
“If you’re ready, I’ll take you to your car,” he said.
Lara looked around and caught Magnus on his way out the door. He stared at her for a moment before turning to walk away.
She swallowed hard. Just when she was thinking she might get away without ending up on the news.
* * *
The streets were quiet as they drove. Lara hated to admit it, but she was sorry they were. If he had to worry about a car coming along, Rem might not take her out. She still wasn’t convinced this wouldn’t end with her in a lone shoe story.
The hybrids had every reason to be terrified of their identities getting out into the public. Given what had been reported about Horatius Group attacks on the Luna Lodge hybrids, Rem’s group’s secrecy was literally a matter of life and death.
After several minutes of silence, Rem spoke.
“You can relax,” he said. “None of my people are going to harm you. Well, not again anyway. Magnus will see to that with Marcus.”
Lara looked over to him, surprised at his words.
He smiled.
“Really, you are perfectly safe,” he said.
She thought on it before she spoke.
“Isn’t it dangerous, letting me go like this?”
Rem laughed. “Not exactly.”
She frowned. “But what if I decide to blow your cover?”
He shook his head. “You won’t.”
Her temper spiked as he spoke. She hated when people acted like they knew you when they really didn’t.
“How do you know?” she asked defiantly, regretting it slightly when she realized she was effectively arguing to a super-human hybrid that he should get rid of her.
Rem sighed loudly. “You mother’s name is Maggie, and your father’s George. They gave birth to you here, and you have lived your whole life in this place. About five years ago they moved to Arizona for sunshine. Meanwhile you’ve kept at the same job since you interned there back in high school.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“You want to do more than you can in this town, but there are limits. You didn’t write the piece on your friend Taylor, despite the fact that your boss tried to make you.” Rem paused to look over at her. “That’s how I know.”
“How did you know that?” she asked. She wondered if the hybrids had secret telepathic powers that no one knew about it. Much easier to hide that sort of thing than glowing eyes and super-strength.
No one was supposed to know about the story on Taylor. Peter had tried to make her, but she refused. There was no way in hell she was going to write a piece on her friend’s very public divorce. It didn’t matter what sort of fame it gave her. That wasn’t the way she wanted to be launched forward in her career.
“You can’t think I wouldn’t check into you,” Rem said. “I’m letting my bonded go with you. I have to know the kind of person she’ll be with. We’re not that trusting of people. I’m sure you understand why.”
“And I passed your test?” she asked.
Rem gave her a dazzling smile. “With flying colors.”
They stopped just behind her car, and Lara sighed. The trip hadn’t gone like she expected, but she was safe, and that was a plus in her book.
Rem reached out and grabbed her arm just before she slid out of the truck.
“I have a favor to ask,” Rem said. His face was serious this time.
She nodded and stared back at him.
“Come to us first,” he said. “Something happens at the compound, let us know before you publish. We might really need the head’s up if this turns out to be bad. If what you say is true, there probably is something going on in that compound. Who knows? We might may even be able to help keep it under control if it’s something dangerous.”
She thought on it. Wasn’t really like he was asking for much, considering.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll come to you first.”
Rem smiled widely at her and winked.
“I knew you would,” he said smugly. He stared at her for a moment and then nodded. “I think you’re going to fit in nicely.”
Lara frowned. “What?”
Rem closed the door behind her as she climbed out, ignoring the question.
“See you tomorrow,” he said.
She blinked a few times. “Tomorrow?”
Rem gave a wide smile. “You invited Jenna for drinks,” he said and put his truck into gear. “I’ll drop her off.”
Not really sure what else to say, Lara nodded.
She watched as the truck eased away. She turned to her car but stopped suddenly.
“Wait,” she shouted. “What about my phone?”
“Sorry,” he shouted. “He smashed it.” He accelerated and pulled completely away.
She sighed and climbed into her car. They had let her go, but she was pretty sure Rem had just let her know that they’d be watching her. What they could do exactly, she wasn’t really sure, but they had enough power to dig up her past. It was enough to put her on high alert. She’d just have to see how things went tomorrow.
An eerie feeling crept over her like someone was watching. She scanned the woods around them but couldn’t see anything.
She shivered at the black. It was so dark she could barely make out the steering wheel.
Lara started the car and drove onto the lone road. She needed to get back to where there were at least a few more lights and a few less creepy feelings.