Diggs jogged to catch up with Audra, catching a glimpse of her feet as she climbed to the second-story landing. Knowing she was headed to his bedroom gave him a surge of satisfaction he couldn’t deny. She belonged there. In his bed. With him.

He knew it without a doubt, and without any hesitation. He’d never felt the sudden surge of protectiveness or primal need with any other woman. He knew that right now she was with him because she needed him for protection, but once all this was over, he had to find a way to bind her to him, so she wouldn’t want to leave his side.

But first he had to make her see that she and Trigger were both safe here, and welcome. And that he would help her make sure that Trigger recovered from his injuries both physical and mental. Hell, he could hardly think of a better place for the war dog to recover than here, surrounded by men of his own kind. They’d all been through hell and back, and although none of them had lost a limb, they’d been in enough explosions and firefights to more than relate.

He felt confident Trigger would become comfortable eventually around him and the men, but not nearly as confident when it came to Audra.

Diggs reached the landing, doing his best to ignore the slight uneasiness at the opulent luxury surrounding him. They’d been here long enough he could pretty much ignore it, but the gilded paintings and thick deep red carpet, along with vases that probably cost more than he’d made in his entire life still made him feel like he was walking on eggshells. But when he spied Audra halfway down the hall, he settled. Just seeing her did that to him.

Audra reached Quantum’s room and paused, she and Trigger both staring at his teammates doorway. All at once, Diggs could smell Audra’s concern and it made him pick up his pace. As he neared, Trigger left Audra’s side and limped into the room, ears pricked and head low.

Diggs went for his gun, but it wasn’t there, he didn’t make it a habit of carrying it around the damn mansion. Had someone penetrated the perimeter? Why was Audra just standing there staring?

Diggs broke into a run, stopped in front of Audra, shielding her body with his from whatever threat lay waiting in Quantum’s room. What Diggs saw made his heart stop.

It couldn’t be…

Trigger crept slowly to the huge king bed where Quantum lay, his arm dangling over the edge of the mattress, his fingers a foot from the floor. Even from the doorway, Diggs could clearly see the pale cast to his teammate’s skin and the sweat darting along his hairline, but that wasn’t what shocked him.

Quantum’s eyes were open for the first time in months.

Diggs’ breath caught. Trigger gave a low whine and dipped his head beneath Quantum’s dangling hand, as if he were offering comfort. Quantum’s fingers flexed on the dog’s head, weakly scratching him behind the ears. Diggs took a shaky step into the room, his throat so tight he could barely squeeze out the words. “Quantum, you’re awake.”

Quantum jerked his hand to the mattress and ripped his gaze to Diggs, his black eyes wide without a hint of recognition. Terror filled the room and battered at Diggs’ senses. Didn’t Quantum recognize him?

Diggs took another step, holding his hands out in a nonthreatening manner. “Quantum, it’s me, Diggs. Your teammate.”

The flare of recognition he’d hoped for didn’t come; instead he watched as Quantum’s weak body tensed as if under threat. Unsure what to do, scared to get any closer and set him off, and terrified to leave, Diggs turned to Audra, who was still standing in the doorway, an arm wrapped around her throat.

“Go get Melissa, now.” He kept his voice soft but urgent, and Audra gave him a shaky nod and then took off running. Diggs turned slowly back to his friend, who hadn’t taken his eyes off of him the whole time. He was watching Diggs like a wounded animal preparing for attack. The same way Trigger had watched him earlier.

“I’m your friend, we trained together. I’m not going to hurt you.” Diggs retreated a step or two, showing Quantum he meant what he said. There was a wild look in his friend’s eyes that said if Diggs got closer he might lose it. That was the last thing Diggs wanted.

Trigger jumped up and placed a single paw on the mattress, whining softly. Without taking his gaze off Diggs, Quantum patted the dog’s head.

Diggs could sense a connection between them, some type of undercurrent of energy he’d never smelled before. The silence stretched out while they waited in a tense standoff for Melissa to arrive. She’d know what to do. She always knew what to do. Maybe Quantum was suffering some kind of short-term memory loss since he’d been out for so long.

God, he hoped that’s what it was. He walked past Quantum’s door every damn day, praying his friend would wake up, but he never thought he’d wake up and not recognize him. Had the seizure caused permanent damage? Could he even speak?

Diggs heard the pounding footsteps coming up the stairway and felt the slightest measure of relief. Trigger must’ve heard it too, because he jumped down and ran around the other side of the bed, leapt onto the mattress, and settled at Quantum’s side, laying down next to the man like they were best friends. Quantum’s other hand inched over, making contact with Trigger. He sighed but didn’t move. Both of them watched Diggs without blinking.

Shit. He didn’t know what the hell to make of this.

Melissa topped the stairs and came running toward him, Audra right behind her. “He’s awake?”

Diggs stayed right where he was, not wanting to make any surprise moves that may startle Quantum when he answered. “He is, but he doesn’t know who I am.”

“Has he said anything?”

“No.”

Melissa stepped around him. “Quantum?”

The bedridden man’s gaze shifted to Melissa, the hostility fading and uncertainty rising. She crossed the room quickly to his side, placed a hand on his forehead, and leaned down. “Do you know who I am?”

Audra squeezed in next to Diggs, and he was thankful for her presence, although all of his attention was focused on his teammate who still hadn’t answered Melissa’s question.

“You’ve been in a coma; we moved you to this new location to take care of you. You’re not in the lab anymore; you’re safe. Your team is here, do you remember Diggs?”

She gestured for him to step closer. Diggs’ stomach jumped up into his throat, but he obliged, taking a couple of steps closer to the foot of the bed, hoping beyond hope that there would be a flare of recognition of anything in his friend’s eyes. Just the fact that he was awake was a miracle—and if there was any hope that he could recover, maybe some of this terrible guilt that had been constantly eroding his insides would ease.

Quantum’s stark gaze landed on him, and the uncertainty morphed instantly to a hostile fear. Diggs’ chest went cold, and his feet locked in place. The small flame of hope struggling to stay lit was doused. “He doesn’t know who I am.”

As soon as he spoke, Quantum started to twitch, his face contorting. Trigger whined and shifted closer, as if sensing something wrong. Melissa drew her hand back from his head and Quantum’s arm shot from the bed and grabbed her hand.

Diggs tensed, ready to leap in if Quantum tried to hurt her. There was no recognition of anything familiar in Quantum’s face. Diggs’ teammate might be awake, but he wasn’t there. “Melissa, step back.”

“He’s not hurting me,” she said stubbornly and didn’t move.

Quantum’s entire body had gone stiff, and his eyes rolled around in his head.

“Step back.” Diggs eased forward, hating the situation but ready to step in, if needed.

They had all lost control in the lab when General Rainier had taken over their minds and ordered them to murder. Quantum hadn’t come back from the trauma. There was no way for him to know if that night had truly scrambled his friend’s mind and had turned him into an out-of-control trained killer. That was a chance no one could afford to take, no matter how hard it might be.

“Quantum, focus on my voice,” Melissa said in a soft tone, completely ignoring Diggs’ command. “We’re not here to hurt you. We want to help you. Just listen to me. Take a deep breath. Focus on me and no one else.”

Quantum still didn’t speak, but he was twitching slightly. Melissa eased closer to the bed, gently extracted her arm, and shifted to brush the hair off his forehead. “It’s okay.”

He was pale, sweat-drenched, and shaky, and Diggs would be damned if he could stop the guilt now. This was because of him and his weakness. He’d failed—Dawson was dead and Quantum . . . Quantum would never be the same.

Maybe it was a good thing he didn’t recognize him, because he’d surely hate Diggs if he did.

Diggs hated himself.

Fury mixed with the soul-shredding guilt, scorching his insides as he thought back to the man responsible for all of the damage.

General Rainier.

That psychotic bastard was roaming free somewhere, alive, and healthy, and trying to hunt them down. They’d escaped the lab, only to be forced into hiding, in a prison of their own making.

His muscles locked and he clenched his jaw. All this time he’d hoped and thought Quantum would simply wake up or die—not be turned into this mess of a man. A man who didn’t even recognize his friend or teammate. “I will avenge you,” Diggs said quietly.

Audra’s fingers threaded through his, and he clutched her hand, needing her support right now.

Quantum’s eyes rolled around to look at him, bloodshot and unfocused. And then suddenly, his back bowed off the bed at an unnatural angle, his muscles and veins popping on his arms under the strain. He screamed.

“Quantum!? Quantum?” Melissa called, her voice frantic. Diggs rushed to the bed, not caring if his presence frightened his teammate or not. Quantum collapsed, mumbling incoherently tossing his head side to side. Trigger whined uncertainly.

“What’s he saying?” Diggs demanded.

“I don’t know,” Melissa said, “I can’t tell. But if he doesn’t come down, I’m going to have to sedate him.”

“Your voice seems to calm him down, Melissa; talk to him,” Diggs said, his own tone was harsh and damned if he could help it. Quantum seemed to be distressed by his very presence.

“Hush, easy now. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” Melissa tried to slip her hand back over his forehead as Quantum continued to toss it side to side, his entire body jerking with the force.

“Quantum, listen to my voice. Listen. You’re safe, no one’s going to hurt you. You can relax, take a breath.”

Quantum jerked his head toward Melissa and, with some obvious effort, focused on her face. She cupped his cheek, her expression so gentle it made Diggs’ heart ache.

“That’s it, good. Look at me, only me. I’m going to take care of you.”

With her free hand, Melissa gestured for Diggs and Audra to step back. Diggs tried to obey her silent command, but his feet were rooted to the spot.

Audra tugged at his hand, silently urging him backwards.

Melissa never took her gaze from Quantum. “That’s it, now just breathe, slowly. In, out,” her voice never changed pitch, her tone soothing. She was talking to his teammate like he was a frightened baby, but for all Diggs knew, that might be where he was now. The serum could’ve completely scrambled his brain.

“She wants us to leave,” Audra whispered and pulled on his arm.

Would Quantum stay like this? Was it possible for him to get better? A thousand questions sped through his mind.

Audra tugged again. Melissa flicked her hand, urging them to go. Numb with grief, Diggs allowed Audra to lead him from the room. Trigger watched them go, his one good front paw laid over Quantum’s leg.

Diggs allowed Audra to lead them down the hall into his bedroom. He stumbled to the door, barely aware of where he was. He made it to the bed and collapsed, dropping his head into his hands, no longer strong enough to stand. Quantum was awake, but he wasn’t normal.

And Diggs didn’t know if he would ever be normal again.

“Diggs, are you okay?” Audra dropped to the bed beside him and slid her arm around his waist.

Diggs stared at his hands, unable to look her in the eye. “That wasn’t Quantum.”

“He just woke from a coma, of course he’s going to act a little strange.”

“He didn’t recognize me.” Maybe that was a good thing, too. Would Quantum want those memories from before when they’d been held in that lab? “I’d thought that when he woke he’d be…”

Audra jumped down from the bed and settled between his knees, putting her beautiful face in his line of sight. “You don’t know that he won’t be, it’s too soon to tell. Give him some time.”

His hands curled into tight fists beside her arms and he stared at the carpet. Audra didn’t know what they’d been through. She didn’t know about the serum or the side effects – the migraines and seizures. The loss of control. Dawson’s death.

And he couldn’t tell her – not without jeopardizing the team. God, he’d been a fool to think Quantum would pull out of it and they’d get to go back to being normal. Like the team used to be before Project Mayhem had destroyed them.

“Did you see the look in his eyes? He wasn’t in there.”

“Diggs,” Audra spoke more firmly this time, “stop talking like you’ve given up hope on your teammate. You weren’t even sure he’d wake up – now he’s awake. Can’t you see that’s a miracle?”

“A miracle? A miracle would be if that man were my teammate – not a hollow shell.”

“And who are you to give up on him so quickly? Is that what he’d do if the situation were reversed?”

“No, of course not.” Quantum would never give up – he’d been the center of their team before Mayhem.

Audra dipped her head so that she was directly in front of him again, forcing his gaze from the carpet to her. “Then don’t you think he deserves more than that from you?”

Diggs thought back to the man Quantum used to be – laughing, carefree and strong. He’d always had Diggs’ back, no matter how deadly or tenuous the situation. Audra was right, Quantum wouldn’t give up on a single man on their team. “What did I do to deserve you?”

She smiled and lifted up on her knees to wrap her arms around his neck. “You must’ve done something really good.”

Diggs buried his face in her neck, inhaling her sweet cleansing scent. He couldn’t remember everything he’d done in his life, but he was pretty damn sure he’d never done anything worthy enough to deserve a woman like Audra.

She pulled away first, her expression full of compassion. “You need to tell your team.”