Her Fierce Warrior (X-Ops #4)(25)

"Hey, Minka," he said softly. "Remember me?"

She tilted her head sideways, like she didn't even recognize him. That  worried him. Had Coleman pushed Minka so far that she couldn't find her  way back? The stab of pain that came with that thought almost brought  him to his knees. He'd pull her back, no matter how far gone she was.

"Minka, I'm going to walk around the table now, okay?" he said. "Just relax. I'm here now. Everything is going to be okay."

Moving slowly, he stepped around the side of the table and cautiously  made his way toward her. Around them, the building was quiet. DCO  security must have gotten everyone out.

Minka growled as he got closer, her body tensing and her hands coming up, those sharp, curved claws ready to rip into him.

He stopped and held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I'm just going to stand here and talk to you, okay?"

She let out another growl.

"It's me. Angelo. I know you're in there, Minka, and I know you can hear  me. I need you to fight for control. You don't want to hurt anyone. I  know you don't."

The red glow in her eyes dimmed, and for a moment, he thought the Minka  he knew had gained control of the animal. But a split second later, her  eyes blazed bright, and she leaped at him.

Angelo's self-preservation instinct shouted at him to jump to the side  or lunge forward and take her down before she could do some major  damage. But he resisted the urge just like he had in Tajikistan and  braced for her attack.                       
       
           



       

But instead of trying to claw him to shreds or sinking her fangs into  him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life, her  face buried in his shoulder. Her claws had retracted, and so had her  fangs.

Angelo put his arms around her, smoothing her silky hair with his hand  as he made gentle shushing sounds he hoped would calm her. That seemed  to work, but then she started crying. He didn't know what the hell to do  after that. So he simply stood there and held her as she sobbed against  his shoulder. His eyes burned. Hearing her cry tore him apart. He'd  rather shoot himself a dozen times over than hear her sobs.

Movement behind Minka startled him, and he looked up to see Zarina  standing there with a look of anguish on her face. Behind her stood  several guards, including Jaxson, the head of the security team who'd  escorted them into the DCO the other day. They looked uncomfortable,  like they were interrupting something.

Jaxson gave Angelo a nod, then signaled the other guards to leave. They  turned and walked out, hesitating only long enough to stop and pick up  the asshole passed out in the next cubicle.

"Let's get her back to my office," Zarina said softly.

Angelo nodded. Yeah, that would be a good idea. And then he needed to  find Coleman and make sure the man was crystal clear on the fact that  this was never, ever going to happen again.

He didn't have to wait long to confront the deputy director. The jackass  was waiting for them in the hallway outside the cubicle area, four men,  including the one Angelo had laid out near Zarina's office, with him as  backup. Angelo would have preferred to stay with Minka, but he was so  pissed, he couldn't stop himself.

He paused, then slipped his arm from around her, gently turning her to  face him. "Minka, will you be okay with Zarina for a few minutes? I need  to take care of something."

Minka gave Coleman a nervous glance. Her eyes filled with tears again,  but she nodded. Angelo had to fight the urge to take her in his arms and  just walk the hell right out of the DCO and never look back. But he  knew he couldn't. She needed help that only the people here could give  her-if they would stop fucking around long enough to do it.

He nodded at Zarina, watching as the Russian doctor put an arm around  Minka's shoulders and led her down the hallway. The moment they were out  of sight, Angelo turned and strode over to Coleman.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" he demanded, ignoring the four men  who moved to get in his way. If they thought they could stop him, they  were dead wrong.

He expected Coleman to go on the offensive, saying he wanted Minka  locked up-or worse. But instead, the deputy director held up his hands  in surrender.

"Sergeant Rios, you have every right to be angry," Coleman said. "What  happened was all my fault. I thought Minka would be able to tell us  where Klaus and Renard were hiding, and I must have pushed too hard. I  hope you'll accept my apologies and let her know how terribly sorry I  am."

Angelo snorted. He didn't buy that crap for a second. "Coleman, you're  so full of shit, it's coming out your ears. I don't know what the fuck  you did to her, but if you or any of your men ever come within twenty  feet of Minka again, you won't have to worry about her ripping you apart  because I will."

Turning on his heel, Angelo jogged the rest of the way to Zarina's office, desperate to make sure Minka was okay.

When he got there, he found Minka sitting at the table with the Russian  doctor, Boris on the table in front of her. He pulled up a chair and sat  down beside her. She leaned her head on his shoulder as he pulled her  close.

"Hey," he said. "You doing okay?"

She sniffed and reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek. "I've been  working so hard to keep the beast away, but then Dick threatened me with  that needle, and it came out anyway. It always comes out. It always  wins."

Angelo had never heard Minka refer to the animal inside her as if it  were a separate entity. It practically tore out his heart to hear her  say that it would always be in charge. He wished there were something he  could do-someone or something he could fight for her-but in this  battle, he was little more than a spectator. The fact was, he had no  idea how to help get her hybrid nature under control.

He couldn't believe how much that hurt him. He'd met her less than a  week ago, and he already cared about her more than he'd ever cared for  anyone in his life. Whatever he was starting to feel for her scared the  hell out of him.

They sat in silence, Minka's head on his shoulder, Zarina watching sadly  from the chair on the other side of the table, until a movement outside  the door caught his eye. He turned his head, half expecting to see that  asshole Coleman, but instead he found Ivy standing there. The sight of  the feline shifter pissed him off almost as much as if it had been the  deputy director.                       
       
           



       

Ivy should be the one in here helping Minka, dammit. She'd been tortured  by those doctors just like Minka. She might even be able to teach Minka  how to contain her animal half. But for whatever reason, Ivy preferred  to pretend Minka didn't exist.

Anger suddenly burned hot in the pit of his stomach, and before he  realized what he was doing, he tipped Minka's chin up and told her that  he'd be right back, then got up and walked out of the room.

"I heard about what happened," Ivy said. "How's she doing?"

Angelo folded his arms over his chest. "What, you suddenly care now?"

Ivy's eyes narrowed at his tone, but the fire went out of them just as quickly. "I care. I really do. But it's … complicated."

"No, it's really not." He pointed at Zarina's office. "There's a young  woman in that room confused as hell and scared to death. Minka is  terrified of what she is and even more afraid that someone like Coleman  is going to put her in a cage-or worse." Ivy opened her mouth to say  something, but he cut her off. "You could help her if you wanted to.  Hell, you have more in common with her than anyone else in this world.  But for whatever reason, you'd rather stand on the sidelines and watch  her suffer. That isn't complicated. It's selfish."

Ivy looked down at the floor. "I can't help her. I'm sorry."

"Why the hell not?" he demanded. "Is it because you're worried everyone  will figure out your little secret about breaking the rules and marrying  your partner? If it is, I'll tell them right now. Then maybe you can  stop worrying about yourself long enough to finally care about a scared  young woman who never asked for any of this shit to happen to her."

Ivy's eyes flared green, and she took a step toward him. To do what,  Angelo wasn't sure. But he didn't move. Ivy could have torn him to  pieces if she wanted to, but for the first time, she seemed like she was  finally engaged in the issue.

"That's not it at all," she growled. "I couldn't care less if the DCO  finds out that Landon and I are married. The worst they'd do is fire  both of us."

"Then what the hell is it?" he asked. "Look, I know you don't want to  have to face what those doctors did to you out in Washington, but maybe  it's time you did."