Twelve o’clock.
Harper’s digital watch displayed the time in bold black numbers. A raindrop splattered on the small face and she brushed it off before she turned her attention back to the veiled position she’d staked out. The facility was just beyond the dense trees and thick brush that kept her well hidden.
In precisely one hour, Rome would show up with reinforcements. To bring Jeff Donovan and the Five Watch faction to justice.
But in a few minutes, she would face Jeff and the faction on her own. To bring vengeance.
She knew full well what her and Rome’s plan was. The intricate timing Rome had established and every move she was supposed to make.
But this morning, as she lay awake in Rome’s secure arms, rehashing the plan over and over in her mind, she knew she couldn’t do it.
She couldn’t do it and be whole with herself.
Rome had drawn a line and she was about to cross it. She refused to wait. Waiting meant justice, not vengeance. And the only justice she could understand was to avenge her brother’s death by wiping out Jeff and his faction. That way, there was no chance they could exploit and murder anyone else. They deserved as much and more for all the lives they’d ruined.
Bowing her head, she closed her eyes and looked inside herself for a long moment. Was she doing the right thing?
Sharp visions of Rome flowed unbidden into her thoughts. Confident and honorable. Strong yet vulnerable. He’d allowed her to see his weaknesses just as she had shown hers to him. They’d seen each other at their best and worst. They’d shared triumphs and setbacks.
And they’d loved.
She’d never loved anyone as she loved Rome. Never thought herself capable of that depth of emotion. Of wanting to give everything she had been and everything she ever hoped to be to someone. She’d always kept her heart locked down somewhere deep inside herself.
But Rome had somehow unlocked it. Without her knowing. Or maybe she had known. Because from the moment she’d awakened tied to his couch, she’d known he was someone who could change her life. And not just because of her horrible situation, but because of the amazing man he was.
He’d told her he loved her. And he meant it. Of that she had no doubt. She just had to look at what he’d given to her and given up for her.
He had given her his heart, body, and soul. He was sacrificing his career and possibly his life. And he’d asked nothing in return except that she believe in him. And she truly did. She believed in everything he stood for and everything he was.
But she also believed that this was something that she had to do. For Bobby. Vengeance was the only thing that could make this right. She hoped Rome’s love included clemency. Because no matter how much she wanted to believe, she knew in her every fiber she would die today. She just hoped Rome would forgive her for it.
Her life and love were sacrifices she would willingly make to see Bobby’s killers revenged.
She opened her eyes and narrowed her focus. Ready to face whatever may lie ahead. She was on the block. Time for the race.
From her crouched position, Harper peered from behind a moss-covered log to study the outside of the Five Watch facility. It looked very different from the covert entrance to Bobby’s lab and the other obscure entrance she and Rome had snuck into a few days ago. Plain. Ordinary. Like any other boring office park.
On the tree-lined hill, she was able to look down, unnoticed, onto the scene. A couple of guys were wandering around the courtyard, just going about their business. Anyone else might think they were just normal building security guards on their tedious rounds.
But she knew better. They walked with subtle purpose and were, no doubt, armed to the teeth with weapons and maybe even psi powers like hers.
Well, not exactly like hers, she thought with a wicked grin.
The layout was very similar to the map she and Rome had made. There were three sturdy buildings in a squared horseshoe shape. In the middle was a wellmanicured grassy quad, lined with cherry trees, many of them bare, and wet cement walkways that were soaked from the steady rain.
Her own plan was simple. Walk right up and challenge them. The more armed men who came to take her, the more she’d be able to get rid of, until there was no one left.
Given that Jeff had kept her alive for experiments, she was banking on the assumption that he wouldn’t just have her shot on sight. He probably wanted to go another few rounds with her in the labs with the horrific equipment. But if they did start shooting, she’d just stop the bullets.
And even though she couldn’t see all of them, she knew they’d be waiting for her. Her goading of Jeff had ensured he’d be there with practically an army. She knew she’d gotten a rise out of him by his way-too-controlled responses. Rome had been impressed.
Rome. She had to purge him from her thoughts to do this. She took a deep breath to calm her mind. Just as she’d done before a race.
She glanced up at the tumultuous, cloudy sky. Though an incessant rain was coming down, daylight was the key. She needed to stay out of the shadowy cover from those looming buildings.
Besides, she liked the invigorating natural shower and briefly wondered how much of that was her love of water or her need for it. Either way, she looked forward to what was about to come.
Checking her watch once more, she creeped around the thick uprooted base of the log and headed carefully down the wet slope, weaving between the trees. Slick pine needles and moss covered the ground, and she slid several times on the moist, loose soil as she made her way toward the facility.
Harper reached the outskirts and ducked behind a cluster of nearby brush. The flanking two buildings loomed larger from the level ground than they had seemed to from her previous elevated vantage point. Though vacant just a few moments ago, someone could easily be on guard from up there without her knowing. She’d have to keep alert and stay aware at all times.
Taking a deep breath, she braced herself, knowing she was doing what she had to do. Then Harper stood and, with deliberate strides, warily headed toward the open entrance. The damp roadway was spongy under her sneakers, drawing little splashes with each step.
Harper reached the edge of her cover. She could see past the trees that made up the boundary. The two sentries were talking together, facing each other, rifles resting placidly on their shoulders. One more step and she’d cross the point of no return.
And she wouldn’t return. She knew her time had to be just about up. And the last thing to do before she checked out was wreak havoc on those who had destroyed all that her brother had stood for.
Rome wouldn’t be here for another thirty minutes. Enough time for her to pull back and wait to put their plan in motion. Enough time for her to move forward and take solitary action.
She took a step forward, moving ahead to seek revenge.
Rome smoothly crossed the threshold from slumber to consciousness. Eyes still closed, he rolled over and went to throw his arm across Harper’s warm body. His eyes snapped open when all he felt was cool sheets.
Harper was gone. Leaning on one elbow, he ran his hand over her side of the bed. The flannel material wasn’t just cool. It was cold. With a frown, he peered around the modest cabin, quickly searching and listening for any sign of her.
On the hardwood floor near the bathroom door, he spied a neatly folded pile of her clothes. He let out the heavy breath he hadn’t even known he was holding.
His tossed the comforter to the side and climbed naked out of the bed. Long strides carried him to the front window. Frowning, he peered out the hazy glass, looked through the misty rain besieging the dense trees. The Bug was still there, but Harper wasn’t.
Turning his back to the window, he looked around the cabin once more while his thoughts dashed with unthinkable possibilities. Maybe she’d been captured. Maybe she ran away.
Or maybe she just went for a walk to clear her head. Rome smacked himself upside the head for letting himself think the worst. That was it. The exasperating woman loved being outside. No doubt she was just taking some time alone to focus on her part in their plan to shut down Jeff’s scheme.
Appeased, he headed for the shower to ward off the chill that had seized his bare body. Turning on the water, he couldn’t help but remember the fun he and Harper had the other night as they stood under the spray. He smiled, hoping against hope that this would all be over soon and they could move forward. Together. Harper was more than a handful, but he was very sure he wanted many more showers with her in the future.
Rome finished his hot shower and pulled on his clothes, not wanting to miss a moment with her when she returned from her outing.
Striding into the kitchen, he began to boil some water for hot chocolate for the two of them, guessing she’d want something to warm up her insides. He’d take care of warming her body.
Rome figured that they had plenty of time to get ready for the afternoon. He had set the rendezvous with his handpicked special forces team for thirteen hundred hours. It was currently nine fifteen. He stole another look outside and then almost slapped himself again for being so anxious.
Removing the steaming boiling water, he fixed himself a cup of hot chocolate and headed toward the island and the laptop. Perching on a stool, he decided his mind could be put to better use other than worrying by the door like a father on prom night.
Rome sipped his hot drink while the computer booted. He chuckled at the complex log-on procedure Harper had orchestrated while he went through the methodical steps. She was really something else.
He’d admired her inner strength from the moment he’d decided to help her. He saw that strength mirrored in himself. In his instincts. He’d been right about her. And being able to trust himself was a gift from her that he could never repay. But he’d try.
Finally he got to the files they had combed through meticulously. But he knew it wouldn’t hurt to browse one more time before they jumped in and did something about the information. He couldn’t help thinking there was something in there that could give them an edge that would make a big difference. Countless times, the smallest detail had proven the largest advantage in his covert line of work.
He went through file after file. He and Harper had color coded the folders to delineate which one of them had been gone through so they didn’t duplicate any work. Hers were green, his were blue, but all of the sudden, he came across one generic yellow folder. Had they missed one?
Damn it all, they couldn’t afford to have missed anything. But it was entirely possible. Rome’s mouth quirked into a grin, knowing exactly what reason made it entirely possible. Last night, their eyes had been prickly, tired of looking at all the data, but their bodies held plenty of sizzling energy. And they’d used every last fiery ounce.
Damn. Damn. They really couldn’t afford any mistakes or faulty information. Maybe they’d just forgotten to color code it.
Ten forty-five. Harper still wasn’t back.
Rome clicked the lone folder to open it. Definitely not something he’d seen. It was one of the files from Jeff’s experiments that Bobby must have had time to go through. Bobby had inserted his own notes into the text. He scanned the words, though not as familiar with the tone as Harper would have been.
The more he read, the more he gathered he was reading an analysis of the men Jeff had injected with the replicated serum. The big question repeated throughout the data was why they had died from it. Rome shivered. That was the exact question he and Harper had tried not to face. But they sure the hell wanted to know the answer, too.
“Holy shit.” He rubbed his head in shock. “Bobby figured it out.” A smile broke across his face, chasing the chill away with vehemence.
Continuing to read Bobby’s notes on the serum Jeff had used for the subjects, Rome’s smile grew.
Harper’s brother had examined Jeff’s reports on the trials. Because the faction stole the infused plants, they had only derivatives of Bobby’s formula. “Offshoots,” Bobby called them. Rome remembered Harper saying that her brother was possessive to the point of paranoia when it came to his plant experiments. There was no way the faction would ever have gotten ahold of the true serum unless Bobby had let them, which the notes in the file showed he distinctly had not.
Bobby had examined the formula the faction used. Because that applied formula was from the dissected plants and not the authentic formula, the effects were diluted. Bobby included notes on his own experiments with his own plants that had obviously been conducted months before he’d discovered the faction.
The test plants that had been given the original formula had flourished. The plants that had been given a diluted serum had deteriorated and eventually died in less than a week. They did age, even though they were able to repair themselves throughout their lifetime. The only things that killed them was their natural life span or if they were intentionally uprooted. Those were the limitations. The natural order of things remained untouched.
The serum had to be administered to the seeds, and then the seeds had to be planted. And it would stay with them as long as they lived their healthy green lives. Or until someone cut them down. Like the faction was trying to do to Harper.
But Harper had the pure genuine serum inside of her. Not the offshoot.
Rome’s heart soared. Harper wasn’t going to die like the others.
He quickly reread the data to be sure he was interpreting it correctly. There was no mistake in Bobby’s findings. The formula that flowed through Harper was pure. And therefore, she’d survive its effects.
Hopping off the stool in an ecstatic frenzy, Rome dashed to the door of the cabin and ran outside, practically bursting to tell her the good-no, great-news.
But Harper wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
His buoyant mood began to deflate rapidly. Eleven seventeen. Well, she’d survive if he didn’t kill her first. Where the hell was she? They had to leave soon. Very soon.
Damn it all. She had a watch. A fancy Ironman watch she used when she swam. She knew they were supposed to leave at noon. Was he going to have to find her again like yesterday? They didn’t have time for that.
He let out a ragged sigh, watching his breath plume in the cool fall air. Excitement drained to anger as he stomped back inside to drag on his coat. Shoving his hands into the coat pockets, he trudged back outside, nearly growling with each harsh step.
And stopped still.
His fingers jammed against something cold and hard inside the left pocket. An eerie sensation shivered through his hand and settled uneasily in his gut.
Before pulling it out, he knew exactly what it was.
Harper’s first gold medal. The medal she’d said she treasured over all others. The medal they’d found at Bobby’s. The medal he’d returned to her.
And now she’d given it back to him.
Rome sank to his knees in the wet gravel, the grainy mist shrouding his slumped form.
Harper was gone.
Clutching the medal against his bowed forehead, he knew.
She’d gone to bring Jeff down herself. She thought she was going to die anyway. It was a sacrifice she wanted to make. He thought he’d convinced her that they could do this together. That whatever was between them could keep her safe and alive until they found an antidote. She didn’t need to surrender her life to take Jeff’s.
Yet she had already made up her mind. Last night, he thought they had solidified a promise to see it through together. As she lay in his arms in the late hours of darkness, she’d said a breathless good night. But what she’d really said was good-bye.
The gold medal was covered with dull scratches and beads of mist. It reminded him so much of Harper. At one time full of shine, now tarnished and changed forever. Yet like the gold, she still glowed under it all.
And like the cherished medal, she would endure. Even if she didn’t know it yet.
He had to stop her. Had to let her know she had a life worth fighting for. And a love worth giving a chance.
Shoving himself up, Rome raced into the cabin and got the things they had planned to take. Five minutes later, he was in the Bug speeding to stop her from making a horrible mistake.
He couldn’t blame Harper for doing what she thought she needed to do. But he was downright furious with her for thinking she could leave him behind so easily.
Damn it all. He just hoped he could get to the compound in time to let her know she was going to have a lifetime to make it up to him.