Mercury Striking (The Scorpius Syndrome #1)(105)

Finally, he opened the door.

She blinked and stood, kicking straight for his balls. He pivoted and yanked her into the night.

“Sorry about the delay, but we had a bunch of preparations to make for what should be quite the battle later tonight,” Greg said, dragging her over a weed-covered concrete walkway to a sprawling mansion.

“What battle? With Jax?” She had to hold on to hope that he was still alive. He had to be.

After staying in the shed for so long, she was more than a little parched. Plus, menstrual cramps ached through her back, and she’d start her period within hours. Just great. A thought, unbidden and sad, slipped through her of the unprotected sex she’d had with Jax. Sure, she’d figured nothing had probably happened, but still, the oddest sense of loss pricked her as she now knew for sure.

The sun had gone down, so at least she wasn’t hot any longer. She tried to kick Lake, but he kept moving past the mansion to a smaller house, a pool house, where he opened the door.

Bret Atherton stood just on the other side, his sandy blond hair swept back from his cleanly shaven face, dressed in dark jeans and a white shirt.

She tried to swallow.

A smile, slow and scary, lifted his lips. “Lynne.”

Her stomach turned over. She tried to yank away from Lake.

Bret shot a hand into her hair and pulled her into a room filled with floral couches, a quiet plasma television, and a pool table empty of balls. “Please set up outside like I asked, and we’ll debrief in the morning,” he said to Lake, shutting the door in the man’s face.

Pain clicked along Lynne’s scalp, and she stopped struggling. Several lanterns lit a room holding a sofa and chair as well as a massive marble desk.

Bret dragged her over to a settee and shoved her down. “How was your trip?”

She tried to regain her balance, her hands tied in her lap, her eyes gritty. “Are you joking?”

“No.” He tugged his pants up and sat in a matching chair. His blue eyes gleamed in the muted light. “I told Lake to take good care of you. You’re important to me.”

“I’ve been in a fucking shed,” she spat out.

“Yes, sorry about that. We had preparations to make, and I wanted Greg to concentrate fully on those.”

Fear settled like a rock in her gut, yet she kept her face stoic. “So he’s a Ripper like you?”

Bret leaned forward. “Neither of us is a Ripper. I’m enhanced, and believe it or not, Lake has never been infected. He’s just incredibly focused.”

“So are you,” Lynne shot back.

Bret studied her like a bug under a scope. “I could feel you drawing away, even before Scorpius changed everything.”

She faltered, trying to glance around nonchalantly for a weapon. Any type of weapon. “That’s not true.”

“Sure it is. I think you thought you were smarter than me, and you probably were . . . before I survived Scorpius.” His head tilted to the side. “Why wouldn’t you move in with me?”

She tried to remain still. “We only dated a few months.”

He drew a USB drive secured by a cord out of his shirt. “I filmed you sleeping. Did you know that?”

“No,” she whispered. “You have me on that flash drive?” Her heart kicked into gear.

He nodded. “Films of you, pictures of you, everything of you.”

“Even my research?” she asked, her hands digging into her thighs.

“Everything. I really cared for you and thought we had a future, but you wouldn’t even think of committing to me.”

“Perhaps I had commitment issues,” she said, not seeing even a stapler on the desk. He was bigger and definitely stronger, but she was a survivor and could fight. There had to be a weapon close by.

“I don’t appreciate the sarcasm.” He leaned toward her, almost casually, and backhanded her across the face.

Her head jerked, and pain shattered through her cheek. She turned back toward him, gasping for breath. “What is wrong with you?”

He looked down at his pants, which were tenting. “Apparently nothing, now.”

Acid burned the back of her throat, and she tried to swallow. Okay. Talk. Get him out of his head. Maybe ridicule would work. “Why? Have you had problems getting it up?”

He hissed and kicked her in the calf.

Agony spread down to her ankle, and she bit back a groan.

His eyes glittered, and he smiled. “The more I hurt you, the harder I get.”

She had to stop reacting. No matter what he did, she couldn’t show pain. Would that get him to back off or try harder? Either way, the asshole was feeding off fear, so she rolled her eyes. “Did your dad hit your mom? I’ve seen her picture. So much makeup over her pretty face. Hiding something?”

His face contorted. “Shut up. Don’t talk about my mother.”

Lynne leaned back and tried to appear relaxed. “Okay. Why are you broadcasting that I’m carrying a new strain of Scorpius?”

He rubbed his hands down his slacks. “I figured somebody would turn you in.”

Good plan. She glanced at a sprawling world map on the wall containing a smattering of colorful pins, searching for anything to draw his attention. “Are you in touch with the rest of the world?” If she could keep him talking, then hopefully he wouldn’t keep trying to hurt her.