That answer didn't seem to make anyone very happy, including Angelo.
"Were there any other hybrids like you at this facility?" Landon asked.
"Sometimes the doctors would bring in other people they experimented on," Minka said. "They'd lock them in the cells near mine, but they rarely survived very long. I occasionally heard screams in one of the other buildings, but when I escaped, there was only silence, so I assume they died, too."
Powell and Moore asked about the rotation schedule for the guards, where they slept, and, most importantly, where the doctors were located. Minka tried to answer the best she could, but she didn't know very much.
"It doesn't seem like we have to worry about hybrids. That's something, at least," Landon said. "But we could be facing as many as twenty guards. Maybe we should consider going in with a larger force, one with a few more shifters."
John opened his mouth to answer, but Thorn cut him off.
"The goal of this mission isn't to go in and get into a knock-down, drag-out fight with the guards. The objective is to get in, grab the doctors, and get out-that's all. You have the element of surprise on your side, so this job should be a piece of cake for a team with your level of training."
Minka doubted the guards were just going to stand around politely and let a team of people come in and apprehend the doctors. But no one seemed willing to challenge Thorn on his assertion.
The meeting came to a close soon after that. John and Dick left, along with Powell and Moore. Minka had hoped Thorn would go too, but he pulled Ivy and Landon aside, leaving her and Angelo alone. Minka didn't mean to eavesdrop, but with her keen hearing, it was difficult not to.
"Hey," Angelo whispered. "Are you listening in on their conversation with Thorn?"
Minka gave him an embarrassed look. "I know it's rude, but yes I was." She frowned as a thought occurred to her. "Can you hear them, too?"
He chuckled softly. "From fifty feet away? No, I can't. What are they saying?"
"Something about not letting Klaus and Renard get captured alive, not with everything they know," she whispered. "He said there are people on the Committee who would be more than happy to use the doctors' hybrid research for their own purposes. He told Ivy and Landon they can't let that happen."
Giving Ivy and Landon a nod, Thorn glanced once in Minka and Angelo's direction, then left the room.
Minka frowned at Ivy and Landon as the couple walked over to join her and Angelo. "I don't understand. Did he just say that he wanted you to kill those doctors?"
Ivy smiled. "You heard that, huh?"
Minka nodded. "But why would he tell us during the briefing that we're supposed to capture the doctors alive, then tell you to kill them?"
"I've stopped trying to figure out what kind of games the people around here are playing," Landon said. "Either Thorn is actually a good guy who's worried about another member of the Committee getting their hands on the hybrid research and doing something with it, or he's a complete piece of crap and wants Ivy and me to clean up the mess he made."
Minka didn't know what Landon was talking about, but either way, she didn't have a good feeling about it.
* * *
Minka and Angelo stayed at the DCO complex for another hour, picking up clothing and equipment they would supposedly need for the mission. Angelo was unusually quiet as they drove home. He didn't say much after they got there either. Instead, he went into the kitchen to make sandwiches for dinner while she packed a few pieces of clothes and some toiletries. Then they sat together on the couch and ate while the silence grew heavy.
Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer. She put down her half-eaten sandwich and turned to face him. "Is everything okay? You're very quiet."
At first she wasn't sure if he'd heard her because he didn't answer. She was just about to ask again when he spoke.
"Everything's fine," he said. "I talked to John right before the briefing and he promised that no matter what happens on the mission-whether we find these doctors or not-you'll be welcome at the DCO. There'll be no strings attached, and he said you can keep working with Layla, Ivy, and Tanner, so you can get better at controlling your abilities. He'll make sure you have a place to live. You'll have lots of people to help you get settled. You won't be abandoned, okay?"
Minka's throat tightened so much she could barely breathe. Angelo had said nothing about him coming back after the mission. That was why he was being so quiet. He would be rejoining his team in Tajikistan afterward.
Questions flooded her mind as she fought to hold back tears. How long would he be gone? Would he come back to her after he finished in Tajikistan? What kind of work would he be doing? Would he be safe? Would he be able to call her to let her know he was okay?
But she didn't ask any of those questions because she feared what the answers would be. Instead, she stood up and held out her hand to him. "Can we go to bed now?"
He put down what was left of his sandwich and took her hand, then led her to the bedroom without a word.
Neither one of them spoke, but this time, she didn't wait patiently for him to undress them both. She reached out and began to loosen his belt even as he started taking off her clothes. When they were both naked, she moved closer and put her arms around him, pressing her face against his smooth chest and breathing in his scent. He wrapped her in his arms, and for a little while, she could almost believe that nothing could ever hurt her with Angelo there to protect her. But then it hit her, and she couldn't stop the tears that sprang to her eyes. The pain in her chest was stronger than anything she'd ever felt. Soon, Angelo wouldn't be there to protect her, and she would be all alone. After learning what it was like to be with him, she didn't know how she could go on by herself.
Angelo's fingers slipped under her chin, lifting her face up to his. Then he leaned forward and began to gently kiss away her tears.
She almost broke down then but stopped herself, knowing how much it would hurt him to see her like that. So she pushed the bad thoughts away, enclosing them in the same cage as the beast. Then she buried her fingers in Angelo's hair and pulled him down for a kiss. Minka was terrified it might be the last time they could be together. But if it was, she didn't want it to be sad. She wanted it to be amazing. She focused on the feel of his lips on her, thinking only of his taste, the heat pouring off his body, the tantalizing sensation of his growing hardness pressing against her stomach.
By the time Angelo picked her up and set her carefully on the bed, her tears were gone and her fear was replaced with arousal. While he rolled the condom down his shaft, she slid over, leaving room for him in the center of the bed. He looked a little confused for a moment, until she grabbed his hand and pulled him down with her, urging him onto his back. Then a smile curved his sensuous mouth as she climbed on top of him. She hadn't been bold enough to do so last night, but now there was no time to worry about embarrassment. She wanted to make love to her angel this way, and if that meant she had to learn as she went, then she was more than ready.
It took a bit of fumbling, since she didn't know exactly where to put her hands and knees, but then Angelo's hands were on her hips, guiding her to the right position. And when she finally eased herself down on him, the groans that escaped them both made the momentary confusion worth it.
She leaned forward and placed her hands on his chest, carefully lifting herself up a few centimeters, then letting her bottom come down on his strong thighs in one slow, steady motion. She let out a purr as tingles spread out from her core to every part of her body. Every time she rode up and down on him, she felt a little jolt of electricity. The urge to speed up was intense, but she took her time, wanting to make the moment last forever.
But Angelo seemed to have other ideas. He got a firm grip on her hips and started moving slowly under her, thrusting in perfect rhythm with her movements. Mmm, that felt amazing.
Minka put more of her weight on his chest as he began pumping faster. One of his hands glided from her hip to grasp her bottom, squeezing tightly and completely taking over control of their pace. It was crazy. She was on top, but he was the one in control.
The sound of their bodies coming together as he thrust into her was so sexy, it was hard not to close her eyes and get lost in the rhythm. But she kept her eyes open, so she could look at his beautiful face. As she got closer to orgasm, that became impossible, and she collapsed forward, burying her face in his neck as he thrust hard into her and pushed her further toward her climax.