Chapter Ten
“You’re serious?” Cecelia demanded, her voice a husky rasp as they waited to be cleared and allowed entrance to the FBI’s holding area. They were inside the FBI office in D.C., and Cecelia had gotten them access to the restricted area from the FBI Director himself. Flynn had been impressed with her connections. “You met another Lazarus subject last night, and you’re only telling me about her now?”
“We were a little busy,” he murmured. His new ID was still holding up to all the checks. Jay really knew his shit. Flynn made a mental note to buy the guy a case of beer. Not that Jay needed anyone to buy anything for him, but, hell, he’d make the gesture. Wasn’t that a nice, normal guy thing to do? “Jay and Sawyer are looking for her.”
Cecelia edged closer to him. She wore a pair of black pants and a black turtleneck. Her bruised throat was hidden, but she looked far too pale. She’d left her hair loose, another technique, he was sure, to try and hide the bruises she sported.
“The woman was working with Bryce?”
“Looked that way.”
Immediately, she said, “He could be controlling her.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“We need to find her.”
An FBI agent was heading toward them. A guy with sharp eyes and hard features. Lorenzo Jones. The FBI Director had ordered him to stay close to Cecelia and to Flynn. To watch them at all times while they were with Aaron Barrett.
Getting the truth from Aaron would be tricky with an audience involved.
“This way,” Lorenzo directed with a wave of his hand. A heavy, metal door clanked open, and Flynn couldn’t help but tense. When he’d been at the Lazarus facility, that place had looked far too much like the FBI holding area. Lots of reinforced doors. Cells.
Jail.
“He hasn’t talked much since last night.” Lorenzo pointed to a cell. “We are…listen, it’s not that we’re protecting our own, Dr. Gregory. That’s not what this is about. The guy is waiting for a psych evaluation then he’s going to be transferred, and we’ll handle official booking.”
Through the bars, Aaron looked up. Dark shadows circled his eyes and stubble covered his jaw. “Cecelia.” The guy had bruises all over his face. His nose was swollen and red, and his lips were cracked.
“I’m sorry for what happened,” Lorenzo said as he gazed at Cecelia. He acted as if Aaron hadn’t spoken. “I never would have thought another agent would do…” His words trailed away. “You sure you want to talk with him? Victims don’t usually face the men who attacked them. A trial is going to come, you know that, and you don’t want anything to influence the case.”
“I need to talk with him.” Her voice was still so weak. Husky. And when he heard it, Flynn’s muscles automatically tightened.
Aaron had jumped up from the cot in the cell. He lunged forward and his hands fisted around the bars. “Cecelia! Cecelia, I am so sorry!”
“Needs his lawyer here,” Lorenzo muttered. “At least a rep—”
“I waive all of that shit!” Aaron threw back immediately. “Oh, God, Cecelia, I don’t even know what happened. I mean…I can remember it now. I remember having the rope. I remember you being on the ground…”
Flynn took a step toward the cell, growling. It would be so easy to reach through the bars. To lock his fingers around Aaron’s neck. To snap the bones. He could kill the man in less than a second’s time. Flynn knew he was that fast. Lorenzo wouldn’t even be able to reach for his gun.
“But it wasn’t me!” Aaron was adamant. “I swear, it was like I was watching the whole scene on TV. I wasn’t living that moment. I wasn’t hurting you. I was watching it all, and I wanted to stop. I hated what was happening, but I couldn’t stop.”
“Sounds like a psychotic break to me,” Lorenzo murmured. “Need that shrink to hurry up and get his ass here.”
“A shrink is here,” Cecelia reminded him.
Aaron flinched. “Your voice…I did that. I did that to you!” He tore his hands from the bars and sank his fingers in his already tousled hair. “I’ve never hurt a woman before. I think men are fucking animals who do that.” His self-loathing was obvious. “I need to be locked up for a long time. I thought I was one of the good guys, that I helped people.” He swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “But I need to be in this cell. If I’m locked up, I can’t ever hurt anyone again.”
Cecelia glanced at Flynn. He could see the worry on her face.
With a little sigh, she slipped closer to the bars. Immediately, Flynn’s hand flew out and curled around her stomach. “No, baby, not that close.” Because if Aaron made a move toward her—
I end him.
She stilled. Her gaze remained on the man in the cell. “Aaron, I need to know…what were you thinking when you attacked me?”
His eyes closed. “I wasn’t thinking. I was just feeling. Rage and hate and jealousy were suddenly burning in me.”
“Fits,” Lorenzo said with a nod toward Flynn and a knowing glance at the way Flynn still held Cecelia. “Guys at the Bureau all know Aaron has a personal history with you, Dr. Gregory. Maybe he got pushed over the edge because of the new guy in your life.”
Cecelia slipped from Flynn’s hold.
“I’ve never felt like that before.” Aaron hung his head forward as his hands dropped to his sides. “It was like the emotions weren’t even mine. I wanted to attack. To destroy.” His hands fisted. “I wanted to kill. And that’s not me.”
Attack. Destroy. Kill. Flynn was familiar with that particular mantra. It had pounded into his head when he’d been at Lazarus, and he didn’t buy—not for an instant—that it was just some random coincidence that Aaron had recited those same words. And it was no coincidence that Aaron had attacked Cecelia the same night that Bryce had come at Flynn behind Sin.
“I never wanted to be like my old man.” Aaron’s shoulders hunched. “I fucking swore I wouldn’t be. Always afraid when the day would come…hearing voices.” This time, he hit his head, hard. A fist to the temple. “Not there. Never there. Always afraid…and now it’s me.”
Cecelia was gazing at her ex-lover with pity in her eyes. But when she spoke, Flynn knew the words were for him. “Aaron’s father was schizophrenic. When Aaron was ten years old, his father had a…severe schizophrenic episode. He saw monsters everywhere he looked, and he thought it was his job to kill those monsters.” She sighed. “One of the monsters was Aaron’s mother.”
Aaron’s head whipped up. “I’m so sorry, Cecelia.”
She stared at him a moment. The silence thickened. Then…“I’m not pressing charges.”
“What?” Lorenzo exclaimed, his shock obvious. “Dr. Gregory, Cecelia, wait, you—”
“I’m not pressing charges. I don’t think Aaron was responsible for his actions.”
“Uh, okay.” Lorenzo nodded but his shock was still clear. “We’re waiting on the assigned shrink to arrive in order to evaluate—”
“No, you misunderstand me. I don’t think Aaron is mentally unstable.”
“What?” Aaron’s stark cry.
“I think he was under the influence of the real killer. Hypnotized, if you will. The Midnight Strangler is here in D.C. He knows that Aaron and I teamed up to track him, and he wanted to screw with the investigation.” She cast a quick glance at Flynn. “You saw him last night at Sin. The killer came up to you at the club, and he told you that he was going to eliminate me.”
“Yes.” She was speaking the truth.
“A new theory I’ve recently developed is that the Midnight Strangler can hypnotize his prey. That’s why they don’t fight him. He gets in their minds, if you will, he—”
“Sorry, Dr. Gregory, but that sounds like absolute bullshit to me,” Lorenzo interrupted. He rolled back his shoulders. “We got a witness, Benjamin Larson who saw Aaron in the alley, attacking you. No one else was there. No one was pulling Agent Barrett’s strings.”
She seemed to consider his words. “If you talk to Benjamin again, he might remember seeing a man flee the scene as he arrived. Sometimes, memories can be sketchy things.”
Hell. Understanding hit Flynn. She was sure Benjamin would lie for her. And after what he’d seen last night, Flynn figured the guy would. After all, Benjamin had been ready to kill and dismember a body for her. A lie hardly compared to all of that.
Aaron shuffled toward the bars. “Don’t do this. Please, Cecelia. I need to be locked away.”
She stared at him without expression. “Hypnosis is quite real. I’ve used it in my own practice before. Patients are able to recover repressed memories while under hypnosis. Hypnosis lowers their inhibitions. Their guard is lowered, and the hypnosis makes them susceptible to suggestions.”
Aaron’s head shook back and forth. “Cecelia…”
“Trust me on this. I’m the doctor, remember?”
His gaze held hers.
“I won’t let you take the fall for something that someone else did.” She straightened her shoulders. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to talk with the FBI Director again. After I do, you’ll be leaving with Flynn and me.”
Lorenzo watched them with wide, dark eyes. “That is highly unlikely…”
“No, it isn’t.” She turned to him. “Aaron is innocent, I’m not pressing charges, and the last thing the Bureau will want is for the press to think one of their agents is attacking people. Talk about a PR nightmare.”
But Lorenzo wasn’t convinced. “He was there—”
“I saw the real killer,” Flynn said and he felt Aaron’s gaze jump to him. “He was less than ten feet away from me. He bragged about his kills. He told me that he was going to hurt Cecelia. That he was going to take her out. He manipulated Agent Barrett. Used him.”
“And we can’t let an innocent man suffer,” Cecelia finished. She gave a brisk nod. “Now, as I said, if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak with the FBI Director.”
***
“I-I shouldn’t be here,” Aaron said as he glanced around Jay Maverick’s study. “This…why the hell did the FBI let me go?” His wild stare fixed on Cecelia. “I assaulted you!”
And she had the aching throat to prove it. “You don’t show symptoms of schizophrenia.”
He jumped to his feet. Beside him, both Sawyer and Flynn immediately tensed.
But Aaron didn’t attack anyone. He just shook his head and looked like hell. “I swear, I had someone else’s emotions in my head! I was in a killing frenzy. I just wanted to attack! To destroy—”
“To kill?” Sawyer finished. “Yeah, man, join the club.”
Now Aaron frowned at him. “Who in the hell are you?” Before Sawyer could answer, Aaron pointed to Jay. “I recognize him. Everyone knows that guy. And I’ve met West before. Seen him around D.C.”
West gave a slow incline of his head.
“Don’t know her.” Aaron pointed to Elizabeth Parker. Then his gaze turned back to Sawyer. “But, buddy, you are giving off one intense vibe.”
“My name is Sawyer Cage.” Sawyer gave him a hard smile. “And I’m a dead man.”
Aaron backed up a step. He had an ankle monitor locked around his left ankle. The FBI Director’s orders—and Aaron’s own demand. He’d wanted to be monitored because he didn’t trust himself.
“You’ve probably never heard of Project Lazarus,” Elizabeth began.
“No, no, I haven’t.”
“It was my research.” Her lips pressed together as she seemed to gather her thoughts, then Elizabeth continued doggedly, “My name is Dr. Elizabeth Parker, and I worked for a covert group in the U.S. government. The Lazarus Project was designed to bring back the dead.”
Aaron sat down on the sofa. Hard. “I’m not the only delusional one. There’s a whole group of us.”
“We’re not delusional,” Flynn fired back. His gaze was watchful as it lingered on Aaron. “We’re dead men, there’s a difference.”
Aaron craned his neck so that he could see Flynn. “You’re standing here telling me that you’re dead. Total bullshit. I read your file, man, remember? I read—”
Jay coughed into his hand. “Yeah, about that.”
Aaron’s attention swung back to him.
Jay shrugged. “Fake. He really is a dead man.” Jay pointed to Sawyer. “They both are. I know it sounds insane, but sometimes, insanity is truth.”
“Insanity is nothing to fucking joke about,” Aaron growled as his hand clenched around the sofa’s arm. “Unless you’ve lived through that shit, you don’t say anything about it. You don’t—”
Cecelia stepped in front of Aaron, blocking his view of Jay. “Project Lazarus is real. When I disappeared from D.C., I was hired to work with the test subjects. Wyman Wright wanted someone to help them hold onto their humanity.”
His eyes widened. “Wyman Wright?” Aaron repeated. His voice had turned hushed.
“You’ve heard of him?” Flynn asked in surprise.
She understood his surprise. Most people didn’t know the puppet master. They just saw his work.
“Unfortunately, yeah.” Aaron’s shoulders rolled back. “He got involved in the Midnight Strangler case…” Now his eyes narrowed. “Bastard was telling me…trying to pull rank with my boss. Saying the FBI should leave the case to the local authorities.”
Sawyer whistled as he glanced at Cecelia. “Wright knew Bryce was the killer. He wanted him for the program.”
It sure seemed that way. And that was very, very disturbing. To willfully bring a serial killer into that program, to give a man like that so much power…Why?
“Bryce? Who the hell is Bryce?” Aaron rubbed his temples. “You guys are making my brain hurt.”
“Bryce King,” Cecelia said coolly, “is the man we believe to be the Midnight Strangler.”
“You know who he is? And you didn’t tell me? You let me pull you back into his case and you didn’t—”
“Bryce is also a Lazarus test subject.” She cleared her throat, but her voice didn’t get any stronger.
Aaron winced. “Sorry about your throat.”
Flynn growled at him.
She ignored Flynn and tried to make her voice stronger. “The Lazarus subjects were killed, then given a formula to bring them back from the dead. They came back, but they came back stronger than ever before. Better reflexes, faster healing properties, and…”
“With psychic enhancements,” Elizabeth added when Cecelia hesitated. “I’m still not sure of just how much power they have.” She inclined her head toward Sawyer. “I do know that it seems as if their powers are still continuing to grow. It’s as if they are constantly evolving.”
“What. In. The. Hell?” Aaron slumped back against the cushions, appearing quite stunned.
“Yeah, man,” West agreed with a little salute. “That’s how I felt, too.” He shrugged. “But that shit isn’t even the best part. They can’t die now. Stab them in the heart, they come back.”
Aaron’s brows shot up. “What?”
“They can die,” Elizabeth corrected with a quick frown at West. “But death seems to only occur when a bullet enters the brain.”
“Zombie style,” Aaron whispered, then he seemed to catch himself. “Not that I believe this bullshit—”
“You should believe it,” Flynn advised him bluntly. “Because the killer you’re after—Bryce King? He’s enhanced. And he’s targeted you. He got in your head because that’s what he can do. He can pour his emotions into other people. Give you his rage and his hate and his dark drives. He wanted you to attack Cecelia, and you did.”
“Prove it.” Aaron’s stare swept the room. “You’re all saying impossible things. Prove what you’re saying is true.”
West sighed. “Who should I shoot? Flynn or Sawyer?”
“Neither!” Cecelia immediately snapped as she fired a glare over her shoulder at him. “We can prove it without having to use bullets.”
“Oh, yeah?” Aaron demanded. “Just how are we going to—”
He broke off because he’d just been yanked off the sofa and hauled all the way across the room. In less than a second. Flynn pinned him against the wall, holding his arm under Aaron’s throat. “Fast enough for you? Or do you need more proof?” He lowered his arm.
Aaron choked out a breath. “That was—”
And he’d been hauled back across the room. Thrown back onto the sofa. Again, in less than a second’s time. Flynn stood over Aaron, not even breathing hard.
“Holy shit.” Aaron shook his head. “Holy shit.”
Elizabeth inched forward. “Your speed has definitely increased since Lazarus, Flynn.” Her gaze swept over him. “Any other power surges that you’ve noted?”
“Yes,” Cecelia answered before Flynn could. “He can walk into my dreams.”
Aaron shook his head. “This isn’t real.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
“It’s real. Get used to it.” Flynn crossed his arms over his chest. “Because a killer is out there. He’s gunning for you, and we need to work on ways to keep him out of your head.” He leaned over Aaron. “Cecelia wants to help you. But me? I worry you’re a liability. I worry that Bryce will get in your head again and make you attack.”
Aaron licked his lower lip. “If he’s that strong, can’t he get in all of our heads?”
“He’s been there before,” Flynn retorted. “And tried to get in again.”
Aaron’s eyes were the size of saucers.
“The trick is to understand when it’s him. If you can figure out that the emotions aren’t yours, then you can fight him. You can stop him. But you have to know. You have to be strong enough to realize what the hell is happening because if you don’t, he’ll destroy you.”
“Okay, wait, I need to hear all of this shit again. Slowly. Very, very slowly,” Aaron mumbled. “And, somebody, please…get me a drink.”
***
A line of yellow police tape blocked the entrance to the alley. The tape blew in the breeze, fluttering, and Cecelia stared at the alley, far too aware of the fear that coiled like a snake in her stomach.
“You don’t have to be here,” Flynn said quickly. Flynn, always at her side. Always the protector.
And he thought he was some kind of monster? The guy couldn’t be more wrong. “I needed to see the scene. Not to just think of everything from a victim’s point of view.” She bent so that she could head under the yellow tape.
But he caught her arm in his, halting her before she could slide under the tape.
“You were the victim.” Flynn’s voice was gruff. “And the fucking elephant in the room—the thing you haven’t damn well mentioned and you should have—it’s my fault.”
Cecelia straightened. “What are you talking about?”
“I left you, Cece. At Sin. I raced after Bryce when I should have stayed with you. The second damn time. Another fucking alley. He baits me, and I run and I leave you vulnerable.” He nodded. “I swear, it won’t happen again.”
“Flynn…”
“You’re my priority. Your safety. You. From here on out, baby, we’re sticking together like glue, and there is nothing that will make me leave you.”
She put her hand on his chest. “I’ll keep you safe, too.”
He blinked.
She smiled at him. “I’m not defenseless.”
“No,” he agreed, “you’re not.”
And he didn’t even know about the weapons in her bag. “I didn’t think the attack could come from someone I trusted. That was my mistake. I underestimated Bryce. It won’t happen again.”
His hand rose and covered hers, and she realized her palm was right over his heart. His heart always beat faster than a normal man’s, and as she touched him, she could feel that quick, hard rhythm. Strangely, Cecelia could have sworn that her own heartbeat was rushing to match his.
“We should check the scene out while there is plenty of light.” And before any cops came back to the area.
Flynn nodded, but he didn’t let her go. “What would it take?”
She didn’t understand. “What?”
“What would it take for you to trust me completely?”
“Flynn…”
“What would it take for you to fall for someone like me?”
And she couldn’t speak. Not at all. Her already aching throat seemed to close up even more. She could only stare at him. They were standing in a place that should terrify her, but in that moment, all she could see was him. Strong. Fierce.
Flynn.
Then he swore. “Company.”
The cops? Had he heard their footsteps?
Her shoulders stiffened and she glanced over his shoulder.
“Just Benjamin,” Flynn told her, his voice carrying. “He thinks he’s sneaking up on us.”
She didn’t hear Benjamin’s footsteps, but she knew Flynn had sensed the guy, and, sure enough, Benjamin’s head popped around the corner a moment later.
“Hey, soldier guy, how’d you know I was there?”
Flynn just shook his head.
“And why the hell are you two here?” Benjamin added. “Shit, isn’t it bad enough I’ve got the FBI Director—the freaking FBI Director—calling me for a sit-down? He wants me to swear that I saw some other guy in the alley when you were attacked.” He put his hands on his hips. “What in the fuck is that about, Cecelia? You think I’m going to cover for that freak agent who tried to choke you last night?”
“Ben, the situation isn’t what you think.”
He blinked. “Okay, that voice is kinda sexy. Scratchy and rough, but hot.”
Flynn stepped in front of her. “Cecelia’s throat was savaged. There is nothing sexy—”
“Flynn, it’s just his mask.” Cecelia was quiet but firm. Her fingers curled around his arm. “He’s deflecting. Trying to act like he isn’t worried about me by throwing out a smart-ass comment. It’s what he does. He wants the world to think he’s cold and cruel. If he loses that persona, then Ben is lost.”
Benjamin had stiffened as she spoke. “Don’t remember asking to be analyzed, Dr. Gregory.”
She eased around Flynn so she could gaze straight at Benjamin. She still held Flynn’s arm. “You are so much more than you think.”
“No, I’m fucking less.” He flashed a hard grin. “But who the hell cares?”
She did. They’d been lovers and friends.
Flynn pulled away from her and stalked toward the other man. They were similar heights and builds. “You been feeling some rage lately?” Flynn demanded.
“Only every single day,” Benjamin drawled right back.
“Jealousy?” Flynn bit off.
“Uh, is this about you and Cecelia? I’m not exactly thrilled she picked up with a boring soldier like you. She needs a little more action in her life, if you know what I—”
Flynn lifted the guy up, holding him easily with one hand as Benjamin’s feet dangled.
“And there that shit is again,” Benjamin muttered. “Cecelia, don’t want to alarm you, but the soldier is on some serious steroids.”
“No, he’s not.” And she was going to have to tell Benjamin the truth. Because he was in the web now, Bryce’s web. Bryce knew about her connection to Benjamin. He’d hunted his prey in Sin. He’d waited to attack them at the club. Benjamin could be the guy’s next target. “There’s some stuff you need to know.”
“Ah, Cecelia, surely you’re not about to reveal secrets to me, are you?” Benjamin shook his head. “I thought that was why we got along so well. You didn’t share your darkness with me, and I kept mine safely locked away from you.”
“A killer is coming.” Flynn tightened his grip on Benjamin. “And the bastard can use you in order to get to Cecelia.”
“No one uses me.” Benjamin had gone absolutely arctic.
“Don’t be too sure of that.” Flynn finally let Benjamin go. “This guy can get in your head—the same way he got in the FBI agent’s head. Then he’ll be pulling your strings. He’ll be attacking you.”
Benjamin blinked and his whole expression went blank. “I’m no one’s bitch.” He turned and began storming away. “Finish doing your shrink thing in the alley, then come to my office. Second floor of Sin.”
Flynn glanced at Cecelia.
She stared after Benjamin. He’d believe her when she told him the truth. He wouldn’t like it, but he’d believe her.
“Is he going to freak the hell out?” Flynn asked.
“A definite possibility.” She ducked under the police tape and headed into the alley. The place smelled of garbage and stale cigarettes. She saw marks on the dirty pavement, marks that she knew had been left by the crime scene team. Her steps slowed as she neared the dumpster in the alley. “What happened to the rope?”
“The cops took it.”
“Probably gave it to the FBI.” She stared down at the ground. Just ground. Dirty pavement. She remembered reaching out with her hands. Her nails had broken as she’d clawed and tried to find some kind of weapon. For a moment, she could feel Aaron’s knee in her back. He’d shoved her down. He’d been stronger than she realized.
Her breath eased in and out. She didn’t see anything new, nothing to shine light on what had happened to her in that alley. But being back at the scene wasn’t just about finding new evidence. By coming back, she’d hoped to jog her memory more. Parts of the attack were blurry, hazed by fear and adrenaline. She’d used this technique before, with other people. Other victims. Took them back to the scene of a painful act, gone back to help them break through the fear. To recall memories that might have been repressed.
Did you think I didn’t know you fucked him? Her breath caught in her throat. Aaron’s voice played through her head again and again. She turned toward Flynn, found him watching her with his body tense, alert. “He knew…that we’d had sex.”
Flynn frowned at her. “What?”
“Aaron said rage and jealousy were overwhelming him—Bryce’s rage and jealousy. He knew that we’d had sex.” She hunched her shoulders and hurried back to Flynn. “The attack came just hours after we’d been together for the first time. He knew. He was either close enough to watch us,” she swallowed, “or the bastard was in our heads.”
Before Flynn could speak, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out. The screen now sported long, spider web-like cracks across the surface. Souvenirs from her attack in the alley. When she’d hit the pavement, the phone in her pocket had hit, too. Her assistant Mark’s face flashed on the screen—his face and his number. Oh, damn. She should have gone to the office that morning. Everything had just been so crazy, and she hadn’t even called him to—
“Mark, I’m so sorry,” Cecelia began when she answered the call.
“The place is trashed.” Mark’s voice was jerking and sharp. “You…you need to get here.”
“What?”
“I came in…and everything was ripped to hell and back. All of your files were tossed, your computer is gone…” His breath came in quick pants. “Didn’t know if I should call the cops or—”
“Don’t call them!” An instinctive order. But if Bryce had been the one to break in… “I’ll be there soon, okay? But look, go back down to the lobby and wait for me. Do not stay in that office by yourself.” Because if Bryce was nearby, she didn’t want him to attack Mark. “Go, okay? I’ll call you when I’m there.” She hung up. “Mark said—”
“I know.” He caught her arm.
Right. She still sometimes forgot that he could hear every single thing. “I’ll text Ben, tell him that I have to get to my office but that I’ll come back for our talk as soon as I can.” She needed to see Benjamin and tell him about Lazarus, but if Mark was in danger…
She had to protect her assistant. She fired off the text as quickly as she could. Then she and Flynn were rushing away from the alley. Yet even as they left the scene, a shiver slid over Cecelia. She found herself glancing up, staring at the rooftops, unable to shake the feeling that she was being watched.
But then again, maybe Bryce had always been watching. Maybe she’d never been safe.
How could you be safe when the man who wanted you dead…when he could already be in your mind?