2
At least for the time being, Travis dropped the matter of them moving in together. Davey knew better than to think he’d given up though. Sooner or later, she’d have to risk breaking his heart. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about Travis. Davey loved him as much as anyone could who was hung up on an ex-boyfriend. An ex-boyfriend who may have been her soulmate but had left with no goodbye and disappeared without a trace for five years and counting. In her heart, Davey knew Ethan was out there. She just had to find him, even if it was only to finally have closure. After one fight—no matter how bad—it seemed impossible that he would have left of his own volition.
But you told him it was over.
She felt a sharp pang of regret, remembering how Ethan had nodded and said, “If that’s what you want,” in a tone so devoid of emotion that he had never before seemed so inhuman as he did in that moment, which turned out to be their final moment, because Ethan never returned.
Rolling her neck to relieve a ball of tension there, Davey closed her eyes. He would have come back if he could. Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the monitor in front of her, but the words melded together in an indecipherable blur. Pushing away from the workstation, Davey got to her feet.
“I’m going to lunch,” she announced.
Engrossed in a microscopic examination of earthworm cells, Travis didn’t look up but grunted in reply. Davey had reached the door and was about to step into the hall when he called out to her. “Babe, would you mind bringing me a meatball sub from Arnie’s? The window to study these samples is closing, so I need to keep going.”
Davey smiled warmly. “Sure thing.”
After collecting her purse and stashing the lab coat inside her locker, Davey placed a call on her cell phone. Lana answered on the second ring. “Hey, Little.”
“Hey you. Free for lunch?”
“For you? Always.”
“Great. Meet me at Arnie’s at noon.”
“Arnie’s?” Lana repeated, sounding confused. “You hate that place.”
“I know, but Travis wants a sandwich, and I have too much work to do this afternoon to make a second stop.”
“Okay. We’ll go to Arnie’s then. See you soon.”
Ten minutes later, Davey was hugging her best friend outside of a tiny café that served bland food and watered-down soft drinks. Lana had hardly changed since college…actually, she had barely changed since high school. One look at her and even strangers knew she’d been the pretty, popular cheerleader. Her long, dark curls were a bit shorter and she might have gained ten pounds, but other than that, Lana looked exactly the same.
Davey felt she could never repay Lana for her role in getting Hogan away from the vengeful drug lord responsible for murdering their parents; however, their friendship had only continued after high school because they ended up at the same college. After Lana’s old roommate flunked out, Davey had moved in. And when Lana struggled to pass in several classes, Davey patiently tutored her until she could make the proper grades.
During that time, the corporation responsible for creating Ethan—Global Cures—had wiped his memories and reassigned him, temporarily removing him from Davey’s life. Though Lana couldn’t understand exactly what Davey was going through—telling her too much would have only endangered her life—she had been there to help Davey through her darkest moods. And when Ethan disappeared for a second time, Lana was there again, talking Davey through the lows and making her believe she could keep going.
“So, how’s the hubby?” Davey asked once they’d settled at a table next to a window and ordered a couple of waters.
“If I could just get him to put his dirty underwear into the laundry basket, he’d be perfect.” Lana giggled, but her laughter quickly tapered into a sigh. “Matt’s doing okay. I wish we weren’t still waiting to hear good news about that promotion I told you about.”
Davey raised her eyebrows in surprise. “It’s been two weeks.”
“I know. Matt is going crazy and he’s taking me with him.” Covering her face, Lana shook her head. Then she gestured in the air as if waving away a bothersome fly. “Enough about that. Distract me with your love life. Did Dr. Kane finally pop the question?”
Davey groaned. “Thank God, no, but he did ask me to move in with him.”
“Ohmygosh,” Lana squealed. “What did you say?”
Davey gave her best friend a look of utter exasperation. “I haven’t told him anything. Lana, I can’t move in with him.”
“Don’t you love him?”
“I do, but not like that.”
Lana made a sympathetic noise. “You mean not like you loved Ethan.”
Davey’s shoulders sagged, and her gaze drifted outside to the busy streets. The scene was alive with people milling about, leading their everyday lives, but she saw none of it. “No. Not like I loved Ethan,” she admitted softly.
“Travis is a nice guy, Davey.”
“I know. He really is, but I took this job to find Ethan, not to fall in love with someone I can never really be with.”
Lana bit her lip. “Have you ever considered that maybe Ethan is actually the one who you can never be with?”
The notion stung so much that for a moment Davey couldn’t breathe. Taking a sip of water, she cleared her throat and searched for a change of subject. “Did you know that earthworms exude natural lubricants from their pores, and some species can shoot that fluid as far as twelve inches?”
“Yuck.” Lana frowned. “Davey, that’s disgusting. We’re about to have lunch.”
“Worms aren’t disgusting. They share thousands of genes with humans, and some of those genes harbor the ability to regenerate complex structures. Worms could very well hold the key to immortality, Lana.”
“Oh, I see what you did there. You changed the subject, but you didn’t really change the subject because this is about your research, and that is all somehow about finding Ethan.”
“Ouch,” Davey said flatly. “You know me so well.”
“Whatever. Fine.” Lana shook her head, bouncing her shiny curls. “We can talk about anything except your nasty earthworms. I’d rather slit my wrists and drink my own blood.”
Davey blinked. “That’s sort of dark coming from you.”
“You must be rubbing off on me,” Lana said and smiled sweetly.
Laughing, Davey picked up her menu. “Let’s order, shall we?”
∞∞∞
Carrying a large bag containing Travis’ meatball sub, Davey stepped off the curb, heading toward the back lot of Arnie’s where she’d parked her car over an hour ago. Lunch with Lana had been refreshing—exactly the sort of midday pick-me-up that Davey needed. She and Lana had chatted and laughed throughout the entire meal, hugging goodbye at the end to go their separate ways, but not before Lana extracted a promise from Davey to join her and Matt on a double date next week.
“It’ll be fun,” Lana had insisted, while flashing an infectious smile that almost convinced Davey it actually would be. Right, Davey scoffed mentally. More like anything but fun. Matt was a great guy, but he and Travis were like oil and water trapped in a vat of awkward.
Already mulling over potential excuses to get out of going, Davey was about ten feet from her car when every hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end. Not knowing whether to freeze or break into an all-out run, she slowed her pace and made a careful dissection of her surroundings.
“I see that you still have good instincts.”
Davey stopped walking. The strange voice had come from behind her, a direction that had been empty of people when she’d checked a moment ago. Whirling, she immediately spotted the voice’s owner but didn’t recognize him at all.
He was at least six-feet tall, average-looking, and possibly in his mid-thirties. What stood out most about him was the finely tailored suit he wore and his vibrant green eyes—especially how they watched Davey with an almost eerie intensity.
“Um…do I know you?” she asked while taking a careful step backward.
The stranger smiled sadly. “There was once a time when we knew each other very well, Davey Little.”
An odd buzzing rang in her ears as her mouth instantly became dry. “I’m sorry,” she stammered, still moving away from him. “I don’t—” Davey licked her lips and stopped. It can’t be. Why now?
The stranger came toward her even as she continued her cautious retreat. Halting all movement, he frowned. “You’re not afraid, are you?”
“Well, you just kind of appeared out of nowhere, and I don’t know you, so…” The sentence trailed off as Davey bumped into her car. She could go no further, at least not until she fished the damn car keys from the bottom of her purse. Without looking away from the stranger and still clinging to Travis’ lunch, she began a clumsy, one-handed search for the keys.
“It’s me, Davey.”
“No,” she insisted with a firm shake of her head. “I really don’t know you.”
The stranger’s voice softened. “Davey,” he said, and reached for her.
His hand wrapped around her forearm and Davey stopped breathing. This time she looked at the stranger—really looked at him. The eyes, the hair, the unsettled feeling she got when he touched her—it was all wrong. Cold knots formed in Davey’s stomach, fighting against what this stranger wanted her to believe.
“You look…different.”
For a moment, his cool stare blazed with heat, and then those green orbs became serene again. He touched his face absently. “It was necessary for my last assignment.”
“Your last assignment,” Davey began hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to know and not sure if she would even believe him. “Is it why you left?”
He nodded slowly. “It is.” Looking down at his hand, he released her arm with some reluctance. “I know you have a lot of questions, but there’s no time. We have to go, Davey.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You’re in danger.”
“What? How?” Her mind staggered to comprehend his words. After five years, for him to show up and drop such a bombshell—it was more than astonishing.
“I’ll explain on the way. Right now, I need you to get in your car and help me find your brother.”
In the past, Davey would have done anything he asked of her without hesitation. He had saved her life far too many times for her not to have faith in him. But now…she couldn’t put her finger on it, but something had changed. Something seemed wrong. Whatever it was, Davey was sure that Global Cures was behind it, making her uncertain whether going anywhere with him was the right thing to do.
“Davey,” he called softly, stretching out one hand. “I would never hurt you. Trust me.”
She swallowed forcefully, shoving her misgivings aside. “Okay.”
He opened the door to the passenger side, gesturing for her get in. After another beat of hesitation, Davey acquiesced and surrendered the keys.
“Thank you,” he said, and smiled, but the expression never quite reached his eyes. Davey held his gaze for as long as she dared, trying to understand what was so different. It’s his eyes, she decided. They possessed an odd hardness and a sort of distance—almost as if there wasn’t an actual person behind them. The cold knots returned to Davey’s stomach.
She cleared her throat. The car was moving, so technically they were on the way, which made it time for the explanation he’d promised. “So, what’s this about?”
He looked at her briefly, but then directed his attention back to the road. “Has your brother been having strange dreams lately? Something like night terrors?”
Stunned, Davey considered him with wide eyes. “How do you know that?”
“You’re aware—probably more so than anyone—of how special Hogan is.” He took a thoughtful beat, frowning slightly, and she knew he was deciding exactly how much to tell her. “Unknowingly, Hogan has tapped into a one-of-a-kind ability that he possesses and because of it, someone very dangerous has been drawn to him. Command has been keeping an eye on the situation, waiting to see if the threat would escalate. It has, and that’s why I came.”
Feeling sick, she gripped the dashboard. “How long have they—you—been watching us?”
He answered without inflection. “Ten months.”
Given the information he’d just revealed, she realized it was selfish to think of herself or the mess between them, but Davey couldn’t help it. “So, you’ve known how to find me for almost year and never once reached out. All those years ago, I thought you left because they made you.” She swallowed the hurt, trying and failing to keep her voice level. “But that isn’t true, is it?”
Slowly, he shook his head.
Davey felt like a fool. The countless days, nights, and hours spent thinking of Ethan and dedicating the past five years toward finding him, had all been for nothing. The pursuit of one person had motivated her college studies, determined her career choice, and severely impacted her relationships. Now he sat next to her, completely unaffected. Had he felt the loss at all? “I know we had a fight, but how could you, Ethan?” she asked, trying to reach him. “How could you do that…after everything?”
The amused grin that crossed his lips surprised Davey. Her face flushed with heat as she instantly lost her temper. “What the fuck are you smiling about?”
Despite her ire, the strange smile didn’t falter. “It’s the first time you’ve used my name.”
Davey was speechless. It was obvious that Ethan wasn’t himself. Global Cures must have done something to him—screwed with his ability to feel emotion or otherwise engage as a human being. There’s no way her Ethan could ever be so cold.
Sitting back against her seat, Davey stared out the window and concentrated on anything else. The silence between them stretched on until he broke it.
“You’re angry and have every right to be. However, I suggest we put those emotions from the past behind us. Right now, we need to find your brother and ensure his safety.”
“Sure. Whatever,” she agreed flatly, furiously blinking back tears that wanted to betray the depth of her hurt. “Turn left at the next intersection.”
“You mean this four-way stop?” he asked, gesturing ahead to the flashing red light suspended above a lonely juncture rarely used outside of school pick-up and drop-off times.
“Yeah.”
The school of Welling and St. Aire was situated near the outskirts of town, on fifty rolling green acres of private property. Only buses, parents, faculty, and licensed seniors frequented the roadways surrounding the school, so at two in the afternoon, the area was practically abandoned. Still, Davey sat up straighter as they neared the stretch of highway that led to the entrance, preparing to give further instruction on where to go for parking, so she witnessed the exact moment when a solitary figure stepped onto the asphalt.
Ethan swore, simultaneously slamming down the brakes and sending the car into a tire-squealing slide down the roadway. Her seatbelt did its job well, painfully locking across her chest and lap to stop the forward momentum that would have otherwise sent her sailing through the windshield. As the car finally lurched to a halt, Davey looked at Ethan with no small amount of trepidation. The way his features contorted with rage rendered him truly unrecognizable. Veins throbbed throughout his neck and temple, flushing his face bright red as a thin layer of perspiration dampened his skin.
Seeing that bothered Davey tremendously because she had never known Ethan to sweat so easily. Making a snap decision, she reached for the door handle, but his hand lashed out in an incredible display of speed, gripping her arm with crushing force. Davey yelped with the sudden pain as he wrenched her backward.
“You fucking stay put,” he ordered.
When he let go to take the steering wheel with both hands, she unconsciously cradled her arm and wondered what the hell was happening. Then Ethan hit the accelerator, and the 365 horsepower, turbo-charged engine responded, taking them from zero to sixty miles-per-hour in four seconds.
Straight ahead, the figure remained in the roadway, apparently unconcerned that 1.7 tons of steel, carbon fiber, and aluminum were headed directly toward him. When he eventually moved, it was to raise his arm. An instant later, the windshield splintered, one…two…three times. Ethan’s body jerked with each impact, but the fury on his face never diminished until a fourth shot pierced his forehead, dead center. Blood and brain matter exploded from the back of his head, showering both Davey and the car’s interior. She screamed. Ethan’s body went slack and fell against the steering wheel, sending the car careening across the roadway. Davey grabbed the wheel, trying in vain to correct the trajectory as the tires left the asphalt. Her body received a brutal jarring when the coupe jumped the ditch. Then she felt a moment of weightlessness, followed by another violent lurch as the car landed and slid down the embankment, ultimately coming to a smoking rest inside a basin filled with muddied drain-off and mossy undergrowth.
Hands shaking, it took Davey three attempts to release her safety belt and another two to manually disengage the door because the automatic locks were dead. Staggering out of the car, she sloshed through the mud but collapsed just as she reached the side of the embankment. Gritting her teeth, she climbed to her feet again, needing to get away from the lifeless body and the pungent, sickening smell of blood. Out of nowhere, Palmer’s face flashed through her mind and Davey sobbed. It was so much like before.
She tried to climb, but the sky spun and the ground blurred beneath her feet. Bile rose to her throat. Breathing became a struggle, making her chest hurt horribly. Desperate for air, Davey gasped, but only managed to take in a singular wheezing breath. Then a calming and achingly familiar voice spoke next to her ear. “You’re going to be okay.”
Still shaking, Davey wept in relief. “Ethan.”
“Sit down,” he urged softly. Taking her arm, he guided her until she was away from the flooded ditch and standing safely on dry ground. “Sit down. Put your head between your knees. Now breathe. Slowly.”
Davey did as he instructed, and soon felt better. Though nowhere close to normal, the threat of hyperventilating or rejecting her recent lunch had dissipated.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
“Look at me and answer.”
Davey obeyed. Lifting her head, she met those steel grey eyes, watching her with equal parts curiosity and concern. “I’m okay,” she finally said.
“Wait here.”
Gradually, her vision cleared, allowing her to witness the real Ethan traverse the embankment with unnatural grace and ease. A few long bounds delivered him back at her wrecked car within seconds. She saw him move the body of the stranger—the one who’d claimed to be Ethan—and search his pockets and clothing. Davey couldn’t tell whether he found anything, but then Ethan was climbing up the slippery ridge again.
“Can you walk?” he asked, worry hinting at his features.
“I think so.”
Taking her gently by the arm, he helped her up, but she stumbled. Davey immediately felt her feet leave the ground as he lifted her into his arms. After five years, seeing him was mesmerizing, and Davey unabashedly studied his profile, trying to memorize every detail. He was the same Ethan Remington—the first version she’d ever met. She saw the same eyes, dark grey like a sky that thought of rain. His jaw was set in a firm line, mirroring the intense focus of every other part of him. A slight military fade ending in a crop of brown hair so thick and shiny, it made Davey itch to run her fingers through it. Pressed against his body, she could feel the strength there, the solid lines of hard muscle resting beneath the soft fabric of the navy-blue polo he wore. She noticed how his arms didn’t strain to carry her. In fact, there was no tension in them at all.
“Ethan,” she said softly, unable to stand another second of silence. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“It is good that you were not harmed in the accident. Though considering the rate of speed, that you were properly restrained, as well as the enhanced traction and stability control of the BMW M2, the statistical probability of significant injury to your person was minimal. Alternatively, had Agent Drekker escaped with you, he would have almost certainly been able to acquire Hogan Little. After achieving his goal, he would have killed you.”
A jolt of unease ripped through her. “Ethan, you don’t remember me, do you?”
The long and effortless strides he took had quickly carried them farther up the roadway where an unmarked Dodge Charger was parked. The entire sedan was black, with rims and headlights painted the same color. In the past, Ethan had driven police cruisers as obvious as the uniforms he wore. Apparently, things were quite different now. Nothing except the shiny, gold-plated badge clipped to his belt identified him as a government officer. Now he was dressed in a polo shirt, slim-fitted jeans, and espresso-colored boots. His signature aviators were the only recognizable part of the new look.
“Of course,” he answered, setting her feet carefully on the ground. “I would not forget so quickly.”
“So, you know who I am? You know what we were?”
He frowned lightly. “You are Daveigh Little, older sister and guardian of Hogan Little.”
Her heart sank.
Global Cures had done it again. Years ago, after Ethan had defied orders and rescued her from the drug lord, Marx, a team of mercenaries sent by Global Cures had captured Ethan and reset his memories. They called the process “conditioning,” and used this method to ensure that Ethan always remained loyal to the masters who created him. Somehow, during college, Ethan had found her. When he eventually regained his memories, Global Cures had allowed it, giving him a respite of happiness with Davey. Back then, she theorized that Ethan’s older sibling, the Commander, had put in a good word for his little brother, at long last breaking the cycle of mistrust that had existed between them since a fateful car accident claimed Ethan’s original human life.
Pushing her grief aside, she did her best to compartmentalize emotions that would otherwise overwhelm her, shelving them until a more opportune time. With Agent Decker—or Drekker, or whatever his name was—dead, Hogan was safe, but Davey still wanted to go to the school and see him, allowing her eyes to confirm he was okay. Less importantly, a tow also needed to be ordered for her car.
And I really should call Travis. He’s probably starving by now.
“Ethan, will you take me to see Hogan?”
“Yes, Ms. Little, I—”
Grimacing with annoyance, Davey held up her hand. It wasn’t Ethan’s fault that he couldn’t remember the intimate nature of their past. It was probably the only major weakness of his hybrid composition—the part of his mind that was machine could be severely manipulated by his creators. So far, Davey was holding it together, but if Ethan kept being so formal with her, she was going to scream. “Please call me Davey.”
“Of course, Davey,” he agreed and abruptly opened the passenger door. “It is imperative that we hurry. Now that Agent Drekker knows where to find your brother, he will no doubt attempt to possess another vessel within closer proximity and take Hogan by force.”
Davey’s pulse slammed into high gear. It was difficult, but she waited until Ethan was in the driver’s seat and the car was in drive before questioning him. “I thought Agent Drekker was the guy who pretended to be you and kidnapped me—the guy you just shot in the head.”
“Yes, but that was only a shell. Agent Drekker is still very much alive.”
“Ethan, I don’t understand.”
“I am not authorized to say more.”
Davey pounded her hand against the dashboard. “Damn it, Ethan.” Biting her tongue, she didn’t argue. As long as Ethan was in tin-man-commando mode, pushing the issue would be pointless. She would make him remember, but later.
He spoke again, surprising her because the soft plea in his voice sounded more like his old self. “Don’t be angry with me, Davey.”
Oh Ethan. Squeezing her eyes shut, she remained silent. To have said anything else would have destroyed what little of her fortitude remained.