Electric Storm(52)

“Like you care. You’re too wrapped up in your little life to give a damn about anyone else.”

“Trish.” Dominic’s sharp rebuke shut her up but didn’t take away the hatred burning in her eyes.

Raven’s chest stalled at being forced into a corner. It was time to stop hiding. She could do what he asked, help them search for the lab he believed was in the area, and finally prove she was capable once and for all.

“You say the word, Dominic, and I’ll be there.” She didn’t see the flash of triumph from him she’d expected. Cold fear twisted through her at the thought of going back into the system and being at the mercy of those sick bastards. Some humans thought they were animals without a soul, thinking there was nothing wrong with torturing and killing others who were different.

There was a long pause when he finally answered. “No, we can use you better later when the lab is found. We’ll need your contacts then. You’ll be too visible in the field. If even one person recognizes you, your safety will be compromised.”

Relief trickled through her, and she slowly sucked in a breath of much needed air. She was the one who’d destroyed the last lab, the one who’d broken everyone out. The scientists had created her and would do anything to get their hands on her again in order to study and dissect her. They would create killing machines modeled after her, but ones that would obey.

“Did the virus work?”

A small smile tipped his lips. “We slipped your computer program into their system, piggybacking it through the security feed. Within minutes, it allowed us access into the building.”

Relief edged through her, easing some of her tension. “When do you go?”

Dominic grunted. “London convinced me that he and Trisha should go in alone. Dina, Jenkins and I will go as backup and wait.”

“Jenkins? Are you sure?” A chameleon could come in handy. He’d been near death when removed from the facility. It was a miracle he survived all the damage they’d done, extracting his bone marrow in hope of transferring his ability to others. The man desperately wanted to join the operations. Even though she knew it was best to stay away from anything to do with labs, she couldn’t ignored the twinge at being excluded, easily understanding Jenkins’ need to be a part of something.

Color bleached from Dominic’s lips, no doubt gritting his teeth as he waited for her to protest. She didn’t. “When do you leave?”

She needed to question a few vampires. Without him, she’d be able to focus more on finding answers and not on protecting his back. Shifter blood, especially purebloods, gave vampires a high when consumed directly from the source. The last time they went into a vampire setting, Dominic had been propositioned three times in as many minutes.

His green eyes narrowed dangerously at her easy capitulation. Raven stood her ground, keeping her face impassive. He had his job, and she had hers.

“Sorry I’m late.” Dina bounced into the room, and the standoff broke. Dominic relaxed, and the muscles of her shoulders eased a fraction. Dina took a seat next to Trish, completely missing the panther’s scowl.

Taggert’s gaze immediately locked with Raven’s when he entered the room, like no one else existed. He sauntered to her side, trying to appear inconspicuous and failing. He leaned against the bookshelves behind her, and it was everything she could do not to twitch. She hated not being able to see everyone in the room.

When she opened her mouth to tell him, his desperate need to remain at her side swamped her. That shut her up. She promised herself to talk to him later and find out what the hell was going on with him and the cat.

“We’ll start without London.” Raven leaned back in her seat and studied each person in the room, feeling silly dressed in Jackson’s oversized shirt. “You’re here until the end of the week. I propose we cut it short.”

Dominic slowly shook his head once. “No.”

She only spared him a glance. “Someone broke into the house last night. If my guess is correct, London will find nothing. I can’t guarantee you’ll be safe.”

Dina snorted. “We’re not safe wherever we go.”

“We’re staying.” London lumbered into the room with those words and shook his head at her unanswered question. “Nothing on the tapes.”

“We’ll do rotations at night, two person details, one inside, one out.” Dominic’s order drifted through the room. “I’ll bring Jenkins back with us tonight to even up the numbers.”

“There’s no need. You’ll be gone by the weekend anyway.” The room fell silent at Raven’s announcement.