Her Fierce Warrior (X-Ops #4)(19)

A part of Minka knew that, of course, but hearing it out loud terrified  her so badly, the control she'd had a moment earlier started to crumble.  Her breathing came faster. Then her claws and fangs popped out.  Suddenly, the urge to tear into something was overwhelming, and it was  all she could do not to lunge at the woman across from her.

"Zarina, I cannot stop it," she growled. "Get out and lock the door. Find Angelo. Hurry!"

Minka expected Zarina to run full speed for the door, but the other  woman stood up and immediately came around to her side of the table and  shoved Boris into her hands. Then, as if she didn't even care that Minka  was a split second away from turning into an animal that would shred  her to pieces, Zarina knelt down by her chair and started talking to her  softly in Russian.

Minka closed her eyes and hugged Boris, desperately trying to keep the  beast in its cage. But the beast was winning; she could feel it taking  control.

Zarina stayed right beside her, telling her to relax, telling her that  it would be fine, to think about Angelo being nearby, to think about his  arms around her.

Minka wasn't sure how long it took, but when she finally opened her  eyes, Zarina was back in her seat, writing notes on a pad. Somehow, the  Russian doctor had successfully kept the beast from getting out.

"I'm sorry," Minka said softly. "I don't know what happened."

Zarina glanced up from her notes with a small smile. "Yes, you do. You  got scared at the thought of Angelo not being here with you, and you  lost control. All the more reason to learn some different techniques to  control your darker side."

Minka didn't say anything. She needed Angelo like she needed air.  Without him, she would be an animal in a cage, just like she'd been in  Tajikistan. She'd escaped but would never be free of the one thing that  truly haunted her.

Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked them away.

She was about to ask what these other techniques that Zarina had  mentioned were-not that she thought any of them would work-when she  picked up a familiar scent that immediately put her on alert.

Zarina must have seen her tense because the doctor turned toward the  doorway the same time Minka did. It was the rat-faced man from  yesterday, the one she instinctively knew would always be a threat to  her.

He gave her an appraising look, his gray eyes taking in the tea and the  Danish and the way she was still clutching Boris to her chest.

"Is the hybrid sedated, Dr. Sokolov?" he asked.                       
       
           



       

Zarina stood up and moved closer to the door, as if to keep him from  coming in. Was it her imagination, or did he actually take a step back?  That was odd, considering Zarina struck Minka as one of the least  intimidating and most compassionate people she'd ever met.

"Of course, I haven't sedated her, Dick. That would be unnecessary, not to mention rude."

That was his name-Dick.

From Minka's time on the base where she'd worked with the U.S. military  as a translator in Tajikistan, she knew the word dick was slang for male  genitals. It clearly fit him.

Minka was so caught up in those thoughts that she almost missed what  Dick and Zarina were saying, something about where Minka had been found,  how she'd become a hybrid, and why she seemed to be so much more in  control than any other hybrid the DCO had found.

"Sergeant Rios found her somewhere in southeastern Tajikistan," Zarina  said. "Minka escaped from a facility almost certainly run by the two  doctors who were working with Stutmeir, but she very rarely saw them.  She was heavily drugged when she escaped and wandered for weeks. She has  no idea where the actual lab facility is."

While Zarina had technically answered the question, she was leaving out  many of the more important details Minka had told her. That surprised  Minka. She'd thought Zarina was a very honest person, but now she was  lying so calmly and convincingly, it was hard for Minka to doubt what  the doctor was saying. Zarina knowingly lying to a man who was obviously  very powerful in this place told Minka how much the doctor distrusted  Dick. It convinced her even more that she was right to hate him.

Dick's eyes narrowed as they fell on Minka. "That's disappointing to  hear. And the improved control that she appears to exhibit? Is that a  coincidence, or does she represent a new radically improved generation  of hybrid?"

Zarina shrugged. "I've already looked at her DNA. There aren't any  significant differences between her and the first generation hybrids  we've already studied. Perhaps she's more docile simply because she's a  woman."

Minka frowned. She and Zarina hadn't talked about this subject at all,  and Minka wasn't really sure what some of the words they were saying  meant. But even so, she could instinctively tell that Zarina was lying  about this, too.

Dick snorted as if Zarina's answer amused him. "Maybe. Perhaps you'll  learn more after you've had time to study her." He regarded Minka again.  "She's definitely not like the others. There's something about her  that's familiar, though-I just can't put my finger on what it is."

He stared at Minka for another moment, then turned and walked out  without saying anything else. The moment Minka heard him reach the end  of the hallway and turn the corner, Minka looked at Zarina.

"You lied to him. Many times."

Zarina nodded as she walked back over to the table and sat down. "He's a  bad man and can't be trusted. The only people you can trust here are  Angelo, Landon, Ivy, John, and me. There are several others too, but you  haven't met them yet. I'll make sure you meet them soon though, so you  know who they are."

Minka was about to ask Zarina if the other hybrid-Tanner-was one of  those people when she caught another scent out in the hallway. But it  wasn't Dick this time. It was Angelo.

He walked in a moment later, Landon and John right behind him. He was  wearing jeans and a T-shirt, like yesterday, that showed off his  well-muscled arms. He had his silky, dark hair loose instead of in a  ponytail, too. She decided she liked it that way.

A feeling Minka could only call giddy coursing through her, she jumped  up and greeted him with a smile. He grinned and took her hand, and just  like that, a sense of calm washed over her. As Zarina had said, it was  probably not good that she was so dependent on Angelo. But what could  she do? Her soul wanted what it wanted.

Beside Angelo, John smiled at her. "I just wanted to stop by and make sure you were doing okay."

She smiled back at him. "Yes, thank you. For everything."

Minka knew he was responsible for her having the freedom to leave the  complex and stay with Angelo, and she appreciated that gift. It was  strange how different this man was from Dick. Even though each had an  air of power, John's presence was tempered with compassion, while power  seemed to be the only thing Dick was interested in.

"If there's anything I can do to help you feel more comfortable here," John continued, "please just ask."

She considered that. There was only one thing she could think might help make her feel more comfortable, so she asked.                       
       
           



       

"Could you make Dick go away?"

John exchanged looks with Landon and Zarina. "We'd all like that. But unfortunately, he's difficult to get rid of."

"Dick came sniffing around right before you got here," Zarina said.  "He's intrigued by Minka as much as he is afraid of her. I told him  things I thought might deter him from delving too deep, but he's smart  enough to know she's unique. He's going to keep poking around to see  what Minka knows about those doctors and why she's so different from the  other hybrids."

"Dammit," John muttered. "Unfortunately, I can't completely keep Dick  away from Minka, but I can try to get in his way. He's digging for  someone on the Committee, and I want to know who." He gave them a nod.  "I'll see you later."

Zarina motioned to the nearly full tray of pastries on the table as John  left. "Eat the rest of these. I'll just end up eating them all myself  if you don't."

Minka laughed as Angelo and Landon practically attacked the tray. It  looked like they hadn't eaten in days. She liked watching Angelo eat  though, especially the way he licked his fingers in between each bite.  She had no idea why she found it so intriguing, but she did.

"I think Dick has already noticed the similarities between Minka and Ivy  on some subconscious level," Zarina said as she sipped her tea. "He's  as perceptive as a fence post, so he hasn't made the connection yet.  Right now, he simply thinks there's something familiar about Minka. But  given time … "