Avenged (Altered #2)(3)

The Army wanted to find the doctor who’d done this and stop him before he could create any other special people. Nick, Seth, and Blue had agreed to assist in exchange for leniency.

The Army’s goal served Nick’s more personal aim. If they found Fields, they’d find Kitty. He hated thinking of her locked away somewhere, with no one to help her.

Rationally, he knew they’d located her in good time. Goldstone was a premier military contractor, secretive and sketchy. They had ways to hide pretty much anything. If he’d tried to find her alone, even with his military training, it would have taken much longer. Even then he might have failed. This had been the only option.

That hadn’t helped him sleep these past months.

It had been worse because Martins had sidelined him while the intelligence guys tracked her down. Nothing bothered him more than being out of the loop. But Martins had insisted he do the first phase of special operations training, as originally planned in his military orders, while the spooks searched for Fields. Nineteen grueling days at Fort Bragg. Martins had been adamant. It would prove Nick’s dedication, he’d said. Besides, recovering Kitty was a covert operation, and Nick needed special training. When Nick had argued, Martins had pointed out that there were soldiers better trained for the job. He’d suggested they didn’t need Nick at all. That had shut him up.

When the time came, he needed to be the one to get her out. It was on him. He should have seen what his roommate, Jeremy, had planned all those months ago. He would be the one to fix the mistake.

So, here he was. They’d suspected Fields was working with Goldstone again, and that Goldstone had tucked him back under their umbrella when they’d discovered the drug worked. They also suspected that Goldstone wanted to keep an eye on the doctor, in case damage control was needed. Again.

But Fields’s whereabouts had been unclear until recently. Martins believed the cover-up went high into the ranks at Goldstone, but the legal channels to track Fields were slow. There was little concrete evidence against him, nothing to force Goldstone to hand him over. While Martins pursued the lawful aspects, Nick and three other covert operatives applied for work at Goldstone. The other three landed jobs in security, but Nick didn’t have their military experience yet. Those guys were older, each with over six years in special ops. Nick had enlisted at eighteen, but that was only three years ago. Martins had forged a medical discharge for him, so Goldstone’s HR hadn’t been able to offer him a job in security. Instead, they’d suggested a job in the custodial department, complete with a cushy benefit package. It had been a blessing in disguise. Next thing he knew, he was packed off to a super secret research facility in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Thanks, Martins. Nick didn’t know how he’d done it, but he had gotten them in. That was the power of the military.

Nick had arrived before the others, two weeks ago, to give him time to find Kitty. The other three arrived two days ago—he’d needed to wait for them before he could move on rescuing her. The plan was that he would get her out through the ventilation system while the others secured Fields.

Nick tried not to think, over the past three months, of what Kitty was doing. He had to think she was well.

He hoped he was right.

He turned the corner, toward the high security wing. The bored guard sat on the other side of the gate, flipping through a Men’s Health magazine. Nick touched his fingers to his brow and flashed his badge.

The guy reached under his desk. A buzzer sounded, and the gate’s locking mechanism triggered. Nick pulled it open, held it with his hip, and pushed his bucket through. The guard’s brow furrowed. “You new?”

“Yeah, man. Started a couple weeks ago.”

“Huh. Well, only one prisoner right now. Down at the end.” He jerked his thumb in that direction. “Let me watch her door while you clean in there. She’s not much of a physical threat. But don’t talk to her,” he warned. “She knows things.” He tapped his temple, obviously meaning to scare him. Instead, the way he said it pissed Nick off. She was a person, for Christ’s sake.

The guy—Leon, his badge read—stood then and turned his back, digging into his pocket for his keys.

From his own pocket, Nick pulled the tranquilizer gun he’d lifted from a distracted guard two days ago. Leon made a satisfying thud as he crumpled to the ground. Working fast, his eye on the camera in the corner, Nick hoisted the guy the best he could, dragging him across the floor. He was heavier than he looked, but Nick got him propped in the seat behind the desk. Leon’s head lolled, but he hoped it would buy him some time. If anyone glanced at the security camera, maybe they would think the guard had nodded off.

The keys had slipped out of Leon’s grasp when he fell, skating across the floor. Nick snagged them on his way by. Damn, so many.

Only one door was closed at the end of the hall. He tried three keys before one turned in the lock. The door swung open.

Inside, the room was dark. Nick didn’t know if that was by Kitty’s choice or an enforced punishment. He’d heard she’d been involved in some sort of scuffle in the medical wing yesterday morning.

Not sure what he might find, he reached for the light switch.

“You should leave that off, Nick. There are cameras in here, too.” Her soft whisper crept out of the shadows.

“Kitty?” Relief made his voice squeak when he needed to be quiet. He squinted, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. He’d found her. She was really here.