Therian Promise(84)

The car contained both guards and one greeted Carly with a flirtatious smile.

“Thanks for helping me, guys.”

Neither of the guards had drawn their weapons. They moved out of the elevator in close succession and the confrontation was over as quickly as it began. Kyle disarmed one while Payne wrestled with the other. Even the second guard’s fiery determination was no match for Payne’s calm strength. Payne twisted his arm behind his back and forced him to his knees. Kyle had already incapacitated his guard, so he helped Payne secure the second man.

Carly watched it all with morbid curiosity. “What do they change into?” she whispered the question to Ava. Ava’s only reaction was a silent glare.

“Two to go,” Payne muttered. “Then what? How do we get off this mountain with ten extra passengers?”

“Let’s worry about that once the complex is secured,” Kyle suggested. “There’s one left for you and one for me.”

“They’ll presume we’re the returning guards. Let’s get this done.”

Kyle kissed Ava and said, “I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come down.” Then he stepped into the elevator with Payne and the door slid closed.

“I told him radios don’t work down there.”

Ava looked at Carly, suppressing the urge to gloat. “Who said anything about radios?”

“You are telepathic. I knew it.” Carly covered her mouth with one hand as her gaze moved over Ava’s face. “Did Devon signal your… Is he your mate or just your lover?”

“It’s none of your business.” She took a deep breath and widened her stance as she glared into Carly’s eyes. “You experiment on children. I find you detestable.”

“The children weren’t touched and I had nothing to do with their capture.”

“How long have you been experimenting on the others or are you going to deny that too?”

Carly started to say something then shook her head and looked away as she sighed. “I know you won’t believe me, but I’m as much a prisoner as they are.”

Ava laughed, hands clenched so tightly her nails bit into her palm. “Sure you are.”

Kyle signaled Ava a few minutes later and told her to bring Carly down with her. The conditions below were not nearly as bad as Ava had feared. There was no excuse for treating these people like guinea pigs, but it didn’t appear as if they had been overly abused. Beyond long periods of incarceration and numerous medical procedures, of course.

Kyle had opened Cheyenne’s cell and let her go in to her nieces. The two girls clung to their aunt, all three sobbing.

“Do you have a laptop?” Kyle asked Carly. His expression hadn’t changed significantly, but Ava could feel the hatred seething beneath the surface. Carly’s chances of coming out of this alive were shrinking by the minute.

“Why?”

“I want you to gather as much of your research as you can carry. Samples, reports, whatever.”

“Samples are a good idea, but the rest is documented in the database, which is backed up remotely. I can access it with any computer.” Carly licked her lips and slipped her hands into her pockets, clearly sensing the change in his attitude.

“Payne will accompany you to your lab. If you’re not ready in ten minutes, we’ll leave without you.”

Ava waited until Payne and Carly were on their way up in the elevator before she asked Kyle what he and Payne had decided. “How are we going to get all these people off this mountain?”

“You, Carissa and Erin will have to drive while Quinn and I escort you.”

“What about Ian and Payne?”

“They’re going to wait for backup.”

“Why do we need backup? Don’t we control the entire complex?”

“We do, but we have several tasks still to be completed. First, the doctors must be taken to the council for judgment. Their actions cannot go unpunished.”

“What about the guards?”

“It doesn’t appear that the guards had any direct interaction with the captives. We’re going to leave them bound in the shed and let the backers deal with their inability to protect the facility.”

“Why did you want Carly to gather her research?”

“We need to know how much they’ve learned and what they intend to do with the knowledge. Besides, once everyone is evacuated, Payne and his friends are going to blow this place sky high.”

“I see.” She was pleased by the outcome but tension still gripped her belly. If the women were going to drive, how were the men going to “escort” the vehicles? “You’re going to shift, aren’t you? You’ll escort us in cat form.”