Adrenaline Heat Read online

  Oliver barely managed to force “appreciate it” from his lips as he passed Max. He needed to get out of there. Fake husband. Lewis’s words to Luna echoed through the numb haze in Oliver’s head like an endlessly repeating song.

  After parking the SUV in the garage, Luna hurried through the back door into their cozy retro kitchen. She was way too late. Of course, she had to work overtime. After work, she’d made it to the mall to pick up her dry cleaning quickly, but on the way back, there had been another one of those ridiculous Fronter rallies, and she’d been trapped in traffic for almost two hours.

  “Oliver? Are you home?”

  No answer.

  She guessed he’d probably stayed at the Committee all day. A quick glance at the owl-shaped kitchen clock revealed that the New Year’s party must have already started. Peeling out of her coat, she shucked her boots, ready to head into the shower, get dressed, and drive over to the Committee compound. Then she dug her phone out of her purse, but there was no message from Oliver. Odd. Her socks made soft padding noises on the patterned linoleum as she turned a corner and passed the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room.

  Oliver stood by the window, staring out into the darkness.

  “Hey, baby. I didn’t think you’d be home.” He still didn’t move. Maybe a deer or some other forest creature had ventured into their backyard again. “What do you see?”

  She hugged him from behind, and he went rigid, finally turning and stepping out of her light embrace. Fury lingered behind a stone-faced façade as he stared at her in a way that made her shiver.

  “I have no idea what I'm seeing.” His words were almost as hard as the glint in his narrowed eyes. “Why don't you tell me?”

  She’d seen Oliver mad, but he’d never looked at her like this before. Alarm and confusion had her stuttering. “I-I… What do you mean?”

  “Did you have another nice conversation with Deputy Director Lewis today?” He crossed his arms and his voice audibly dropped. “About how to best keep fooling your fake husband?”

  Oh God, he knows. As if on autopilot, she took a few steps backward. “What are you talking about?” Icy pins traveled through her veins as he shot her another subzero gaze.

  “Max has been following Lewis. He showed me a recording of a pretty interesting conversation between you and him.” His voice was dripping with contempt. “So, do you want to explain the meaning of ‘fake husband’?”

  Her pulse pounded as she tried to come up with an answer. She’d prepared and practiced countless times what she’d say to him if it ever came to this point. But her mind blanked, and a sense of defeat weighed her down. He would hate her for what she’d done to him, but there was no use in lying anymore. She had to come clean. “During your detox, GovCorp had some of your memories altered.” She could already feel her throat closing again as his eyes bore into her. “Our marriage certificate is legal. You know GovCorp’s connections. But we never really got married.”

  For a second, he stood frozen, unmoving. Then he swiveled, and with a powerful swipe of his arm, he overturned the shelf to his right. Along with her snow globe collection, their treacherous bubble of joyful wedded bliss burst with a loud, shattering crash. Scattered glass shards and fake snow formed a bizarre mosaic on the burgundy area rug.

  She couldn’t keep a sob from rising from her throat, resisting the reflex to kneel and try to gather up the broken pieces of the globe he gave her for Christmas. But like all the other ones, it was destroyed. She blinked back tears, as the shards redirected the ceiling lights, blinding her momentarily.

  “It was all just a lie?” Pain laced Oliver’s voice as he scrubbed a hand across his face.

  Her voice shook, just like her hands. “No, our love is true. It was no lie.”

  Cursing, he crossed the room, heading toward the kitchen. “No, my love was no lie.”

  His lip curled, and he latched onto the counter with both hands as if to keep himself from destroying anything else.

  Despite his violent background and his past with the infamous kill squads, she’d never been afraid of him. He’d never hurt her or raised his voice at her before. And he wouldn’t do it now. But he might hurt himself if he didn’t get his adrenaline under control. “Oliver, I’m so sorry.”

  He grabbed her coat and threw it next to her on the couch. “Pack an overnight bag and then put on your coat and boots. I’m taking you to the compound.”

  Desperation washed through her. She bit her trembling lip and nodded silently as she slipped back into her coat. Trying to talk to him now would be futile. He probably wouldn’t believe a word she’d say. How could he, realizing she really worked for the corporation that had created, imprisoned, and abused him and countless other GVs. He’d hated the idea of her remaining with the corporation after their Committee covers had been blown. He’d been so worried GovCorp would try to get back at her when he still believed that she’d betrayed them. When he didn’t yet know that she’d betrayed the Committee instead.

  She rushed into the bedroom and hastily wrenched the drawers of her dresser open and grabbed some undies and a change of clothes. Letting her eyes roam, they focused on the inhaler from the nightstand, and she took that too on her way back to the living room. The one in her purse was almost empty, and she didn’t know when she’d get a new one.

  As she turned, Oliver appeared in the doorframe, watching her stone-faced. He motioned her to come back into the living room while he held his phone to his ear with the other hand. “… taking her in now.” He probably spoke to Derek Hayes. After he ended the call, he put the phone on the counter where he’d already placed her notebook and the tablet she’d left on the dining table this morning. He rubbed a hand across his mouth, and his eyes swam with a mix of confusion, disbelief, and maybe even sadness. Seeing him like this tore at her insides like a ravenous beast, but when he finally looked her straight in the eye, his expression turned stony again. “I need your phone and any extra devices you might have that I don’t know about.”

  She walked over until only the counter separated them. Oliver seemed so distant, it could have just as well been a mountain between them. Opening her purse, she found the phone and put it next to his on the counter. “That’s it. I don’t have anything else.” She left the purse on the counter and crossed into the kitchen to where she’d left her boots and pulled them back on. Her mind was racing, but she couldn’t think of anything to say or do that would make a difference. She might not be his real wife, but she knew Oliver. He seemed much too calm and composed. He was close to exploding.

  Passing her, he dropped her purse into her hand before he wrenched open the back door and gestured for her to walk ahead before he followed her outside. Crisp snow crunched under her boots as she regarded the peach-colored façade of their house with searing eyes. Her neo-hippie mom had traveled the world with her and Lexi, raising them in obscure places all over the world. A tree house in Tanzania, a tent in the Mongolian desert. Never a real house, a steady home. And this home she'd made with Oliver had been her dream come true, but it had been built on a foundation of deceit and manipulation.

  Oliver’s harsh tone made her jump as he nodded toward the SUV. “Get in the car.”

  She knew he’d loved her, or rather his illusion of her. But sometimes even the purest love wasn't enough. He wouldn't forgive her. A veil of desperation wrapped around her neck, and in a last attempt, she tried to place a careful hand on his arm to get him to look into her eyes.

  He reared back before her fingertips could connect with the smooth fabric of his jacket. “Damn it, you know better than to touch me when I'm like this.”

  She did, but he'd never been like this with her. She could practically sense his adrenaline peak. Usually, he managed his genetic batch’s excess adrenaline problem quite well, but under stress, things could get tense. “I’m sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am.”

  “You know what? I don’t want to hear another word from you until we’re in
Derek’s office. If you’re really sorry, just keep your mouth shut. I can’t take another lie right now.”

  She bit her lip and whispered, “I understand.”

  They climbed into the car, and Oliver tore from the curb with squealing tires. For the rest of the twenty-minute drive to the Committee, she stared out the passenger window. Her fear for Lexi’s safety and her grief over hurting Oliver raged a silent war inside her heart while the falling snowflakes outside seemed to cover all the ugliness of the world in a soft, fluffy blanket.

  The muted sounds of chatter and party music teased Luna’s ears as Oliver parked the SUV right in front of the office building on the Committee’s gated compound. Derek and Max already waited for them at the front entrance and flanked her and Oliver as their small group wordlessly snaked its way through the lobby’s new lounge area. Some of their teammates waved at Oliver and Luna, and some colleagues from accounting toasted to them as they walked by tables laden with soups, finger food, and sliced pizza courtesy of the Committee’s new coffee shop owner. While Oliver grimly carried her tablet and other gadgets without looking left or right, Luna forced herself to smile and nod back at their teammates and colleagues. If they knew what she had done, they probably wouldn’t be so happy to see her anymore. Come the New Year, they’d hate her, just as Oliver probably already did. She swallowed hard and wiped under her burning eyes.

  “Let’s take this to my office.” Derek took the lead, and they followed him toward the elevator bank. He was wearing a crisp, black suit, but his military background was evident with his close-cropped black hair and the way he handled himself. Although he was a natural, Oliver and Max only had about an inch on him. He was the type of guy that would often be described as a born leader, and nobody had been too surprised when he eventually went into politics and became a congressman.

  After a silent ride to the top floor of the building, they marched toward his corner office at the end of the hallway. Derek pressed his thumb to the scanner on the heavy soundproof door, and when it clicked open, he motioned them to step inside before the door shut behind them with an ominous click.

  With swift steps, he crossed the carpeted floor and pulled one of the black chairs from the oval conference table. “Luna, why don’t you take a seat?” His voice was low, but at least it didn’t resonate with anger.

  Wringing her hands, Luna nodded and sat down. The spacious room’s walls suddenly seemed to move closer, boxing her in.

  Then Derek took Oliver and Max away to the far corner of the room. Leaning against the windowsill, he watched Oliver place her phone, tablet, and notebook on a shelving unit that spanned the small side of the room while they were talking. She couldn’t understand a word, but she didn’t have to. She knew they were discussing what to do about her now.

  Oliver completely ignored her, but Max and Derek’s eyes wandered in her direction occasionally.

  About five minutes later Max’s blue-gray eyes focused on her with an ominous, almost compassionate glance as he left the office.

  Derek rubbed a hand across his nape and threw Luna a dark look before he crossed the room to stand on the opposite side of the table. He regarded her for a few seconds before he spoke. “I want to hear your side of the story. I won’t hold you against your will, but I think it would be best if you stayed at the compound tonight.”

  Luna nodded. “I understand, and I will tell you everything you want to know.”

  Derek chin nodded in the direction of her electronic gadgets on the self. “Is that all?”

  “Yes, but you should know there’s also a tracker on me.”

  Derek’s eyebrows shot up. “They injected you with a tracker?”

  “No, but they put one in my shoulder.”

  “Unbelievable.” Oliver started pacing, obviously on edge.

  Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Derek threw Oliver a concerned glance. “Why don’t you hit the gym? You don’t have to be here for this.”

  Frowning, Oliver stopped in his tracks. “No way. I want to hear what she has to say.”

  Derek’s eyes narrowed. “All right. But I have zero qualms about putting you in the rubber cell downstairs if you don’t stay calm.”

  “I’m not rogue anymore, I can control myself.”

  “You might not be rogue, but you look like you’re going to burst a vein if you don’t blow off some steam.”

  “I’ll behave.” Oliver finally looked at her for the first time since they’d arrived at the compound, but his voice was ripe with contempt. “Did you know they’d turn us rogue?”

  “No. I swear I didn’t.” A shiver went down her back as she remembered the night Oliver and his brother got caught by GovCorp two months ago. Luckily, Derek had been able to make a more than shady deal with his hated cousin, Harold Lewis, to cure not only Oliver but all rogues in exchange for keeping GovCorp’s responsibility for the very creation of the rogues a secret. Frustration reared up inside her stomach. Lewis used to head the nation’s biggest pharmaceutical and scientific research corporation before the government interfered, degraded him, and put an end to the corporation’s military research program. But even as deputy director, Lewis somehow still managed to run the show in such a way that the Committee never managed to find substantial proof of any of GovCorp’s illegal activities.

  She could hardly look at Oliver or Derek’s faces. She'd basically screwed over everyone who worked for the Committee. Not just Oliver, which was devastating enough. They’d trusted her, thought she was on the Committee’s side, helping from inside GovCorp to bring the corporation to a fall.

  Derek worked his ass off to stop the corporation that had been founded by his family. But never at the expense of the safety of his team. Tears welled up again, and meanwhile, the all too familiar feeling of her chest tightening up only sent more water to her eyes.

  Derek’s expression relaxed a fraction as he strode to his cabinet, pulled a small bottle from the built-in fridge, and poured her a glass of water. He placed it in front of her. “Drink something and then start with telling us what you know about Dr. Fry.”

  She reached for the glass but was hardly able to swallow more than a small sip. “What I told you before is true. Fry was due to return from his vacation about three weeks ago, but nobody’s seen him at GovCorp yet. There are rumors though. One of the nurses at their private hospital said he thought he’d seen Fry late at night. But that’s nothing official.”

  Luna bit her lower lip before continuing. “I swear I didn’t give GovCorp any important info about the Committee’s work. I claimed it was too early to press Oliver about his work and that it would be too suspicious if I showed too much interest.” She cleared her throat. “That your trust in me had to grow organically.”

  Derek’s brow relaxed, and he pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, motioning for Oliver to sit on the other side of the table, but Oliver only shook his head. “I prefer to stand.”

  Derek nodded before he addressed Luna again. “Let’s cut to the chase. You had me and everybody else in here completely fooled. Why did you do it? What’s in it for you?”

  “I never meant to hurt anybody.” Her eyes searched Oliver’s, but his gaze remained guarded. “I had no choice. They have Lexi.”

  Oliver’s eyes finally jumped to meet hers. “Wait. You said she’s in a student-exchange program in Ottawa.”

  Derek cut in, a questioning look crossing his face. “Who’s Lexi?”

  Oliver almost seemed relieved. “She’s her little sister.” Never taking his eyes off Luna, he asked, “So, they took Lexi and blackmailed you. Hoping for pillow talk. Or what?”

  Seeing in his eyes that he could forgive her if this were what had happened, she would have loved to say yes, but it would just be another lie. And she was done lying. “No, I wish it'd be that simple. The truth is I went and started to work for GovCorp voluntarily.”

  Oliver’s expression blackened, and he looked even more disappointed than before. She wished his brother
would be here for him now. But Jake, his girlfriend Kendra, and her brother Nate, who all worked for the Committee, were following some leads in Germany and wouldn’t be back any time soon.

  She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Lexi got really sick, and they were the only ones who could help. They agreed to treat her, but they won’t tell me what’s wrong with her, and they won’t let me see her either. Lewis and his head researchers said if I ever caved and told you I worked for them, they’d use Lexi as a guinea pig.” She kneaded a button of her coat between her fingers as she threw Oliver a pleading look, and his expression crumbled for a second before he looked away. “Later, after they cleared you of the rogue addiction, they also threatened to take you and turn you rogue again. For good this time.”

  She cleared her throat before she added, “And we all know they don’t make empty promises.”

  Derek’s gaze fell on her fingers fiddling with the button. “Why you? Why are you so important to GovCorp that they’d keep your sister? What exactly do they want you to do?”

  “I’m not the one who’s important to them. I was just a convenient means to get a mole inside the Committee. Through Oliver.” She wet her dry lips with her tongue and took a gulp of the water in front of her. “It’s Lexi who’s important to them.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she's a GV hybrid. Her health deteriorated, and I couldn’t take her to a regular hospital. I started working for GovCorp to find doctors in their database who’d worked with them but left the corporation for ethical reasons. But I got caught before I could track down anybody. It was a stupid idea, but I didn’t know what else to do. They made it very clear to me that I better behave and do as they told me if I wanted Lexi to live.”

  Oliver huffed. “Bullshit. There’s no such thing as GV hybrids.”

  Derek eyed her incredulously, and then he rose to his feet and went over to his desk. He quickly tapped a number into his phone. “Dr. Bergmann, would you mind coming up to my office for a few minutes?”