Rough Edges Read online

  He moved into the shadow. The angular planes of his face and jaw darkened, but his faded blue eyes still caught and held the light. “I’ll have to touch you.”

  She knew that. Part of her had known that from the second she’d devised her plan to come see him. The thought of having a stranger within striking distance should have scared her, but it didn’t. Not with Gage. He’d showed no signs of aggression since his arrival, nor had he mistreated the staff in any way.

  Maybe that meant he was a good guy, unwilling to hurt anyone, or maybe it meant he was biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike. Either way, it was too late to turn back now. The shift change would have the guards walking down this hall sometime during the next fifteen minutes. She was trapped here until they passed.

  Jordyn took a deep breath and nodded. “It’s okay. I won’t freak out and scream for help.” If she did the guards would find her and she’d be in the White Room by morning. Nothing Gage did to her could be half as bad as what Mother would do.

  He moved without a sound, entering the depths of the shadow where she stood. There was a scant inch between them, but it was still too much. His heels were in the light, which meant he could be seen.

  “Closer,” she said, making herself as small as possible so there was more room for his big body.

  He slid one foot between hers, widening her stance. His calf grazed hers as he eased forward. Her knees parted to make room for his. By the time he was done moving, his thigh was between hers. His chest was pressed against her breasts. She was wedged in the corner, her nose at the same height as his throat, only two inches away.

  The smell of his skin overcame her for a moment. He hadn’t stepped one foot outside in weeks, but he still smelled like fresh air and freedom. She had the wildest urge to bury her nose in the crook of his neck and just breathe.

  Hard, masculine curves fit against her softer ones. Her breasts flattened, except for her rebellious nipples, which hardened until they ached and tried to poke through her lab coat.

  He tilted his head down to look her in the eyes. His pupils were huge, and there was something wild in his gaze she’d never seen before. It wasn’t the kind of out-of-control anger or fear that so many of her mother’s test subjects showed. It was quieter than that. Controlled. But no less powerful.

  She wondered what it might mean as she stared up at him.

  “Okay?” he asked.

  She was better than okay with so much powerful male flesh plastered against her, but that only proved she was an idiot.

  “Why did you come?” he asked.

  “I needed to talk to you. Privately.”

  “About?”

  “Jake Staite. I tried to send his friend Roxanne a drug protocol that I designed to help reduce the effects of what was done to him. Do you know if it reached him? If it worked?”

  Gage was silent for so long she wasn’t sure he was going to answer. Finally he said, “He got it.”

  Relief weakened her knees. She had to lock them to stay upright. She’d spent nearly a week in the White Room for bribing one of the lab techs to send that package for her. And while she’d prayed for death for days, what she’d endured was still better than her accomplice’s punishment. His body would never be found. Mother made sure of that.

  “Did it work?” she asked, trying to hide her desperation. “Were there any signs of his aggression and rage fading?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Disappointment weighed her down. She’d had such high hopes for that serum. She’d spent every waking minute working on it for months. She’d gone over her research several times, praying that her work was clean and complete. She hadn’t dared test the drug on anyone here for fear that Mother would learn what she’d done. It was bad enough that she thought Jordyn had mailed a letter. If she’d known what was really in that package, there was no telling what kind of damage she’d do in her desire to retain control over everything that happened in her underground labs.

  “Do you at least know if he was still alive before you came here?” Jordyn asked. If her work had killed Jake, she knew she’d never forgive herself.

  “He was.”

  That was something at least. Not enough to help her sleep all night, but at least it might keep the nightmares at bay—the ones where she turned into her mother, experimenting on people like rats, not caring how much damage she did along the way, or how many lives she ruined.

  Jordyn had to find a way to move on. There were more important tasks at hand now that Gage was here.

  She refocused her attention, hoping she wasn’t wrong about him. The risks were so high, she had to be sure he was as he seemed. “Everyone says you came here of your own free will, even though you knew it was dangerous. Is that true?”

  “Does it matter?”

  It did to her. If she was going to put her life on the line for a man, she wanted to know what kind of man he was. “Yes.”

  He gave her a tiny nod of acceptance. “I came for Adam.”

  “Your brother?” So the rumors were true. “Didn’t you know what might happen to you if you came?”

  He nodded again, never once taking his eyes off hers.

  “Then why? Why come here at all?”

  “Adam is happy.”

  The simplicity of Gage’s statement spoke volumes. His brother was happy, and he didn’t want to ruin that, so he volunteered to take his place.

  The kind of man who would do something like that was definitely worth whatever risk Jordyn might take.

  She made her mind up right then and there. She was going to help free Gage, and this time, she was going to free herself as well.

  “I’m going to help you escape,” she said.

  “No.”

  Of all the responses she’d imagined, that was not one that had ever come up.

  “No? What do you mean? Don’t you want to get out of here?”

  “I go alone.”

  “Why not let me help?”

  “The risk. Stynger is a monster.”

  Jordyn flinched. She knew his words were true, but that didn’t make them hurt any less. She hated that she came from such a twisted, selfish creature. Maybe Mother hadn’t always been as willing to hurt people as she was now, but the path she was on was so dark, Jordyn could hardly stand to think about it.

  She lifted her chin. “I’m aware of the risk. Even coming here tonight meant taking my life into my own hands. If Mother finds out I was here—”

  “Mother?” His expression darkened as dangerous intent clouded his eyes.

  Jordyn wanted to bite her own tongue off. “Unfortunately, yes. Does that mean you don’t trust me now?”

  “Never did.”

  “Then why risk putting yourself so close to me? For all you know, I could have a deadly dose of poison tucked in the syringe in my pocket.”

  The tiny muscles around his eyes tightened at her comment. That was all that changed, but she could feel the shift in his demeanor from relaxed to vigilant.

  “Reach for it,” he ordered.

  Whether his command was a dare or a test, Jordyn wasn’t sure, but something in his steady gaze told her she’d better do as he said. If she didn’t, he’d take her for a coward—someone incapable of planning and executing a complicated escape.

  Her hand lifted from her side toward her lab coat pocket.

  His movement was fast and fluid. Before she’d shifted her hand more than an inch, his long fingers closed around her wrist, holding it in place with an unbreakable grip.

  She should have been alarmed that she was no longer in control of her own hand, but instead all she could think about was the heat and strength of his grip. His palm was against her bare wrist, leaving no barrier between their skin. She could feel rougher patches along his fingers, the way they shackled her completely.

  The
strangest feeling swept up from some deep place she didn’t even realize she had. It was like her whole body woke up and began to buzz with awareness. Her breathing sped. Her skin heated as it pulled warmth from his. She saw every little detail, from the rough shadow of his incoming beard, to the tiny scar on his chin, to the way his black eyelashes were so long they tangled.

  There was something about this man that compelled her. Spoke to her. As if some part of him was all hers, just waiting for her to claim it as her own.

  Her mouth was dry from nervousness and the strange power he had over her. She licked her lips to ease the dryness and his gaze tracked the sweep of her tongue.

  His jaw clenched. “Go,” he ordered, his tone hard and final.

  Had she done something wrong? Could he see her strange reaction to his proximity in her face? Whatever the case, it didn’t matter. “I can’t. Not until the shift change is finished. I’ll be seen.”

  He leaned into her, bracing one hand on the wall behind her. The other still held her wrist, making his next command impossible. “Go. Don’t come back.”

  She wasn’t going to let him intimidate her. If she ran away like a frightened child, he’d never see her as a useful ally. “You’ll never make it out of here without me.”

  “I will.”

  “No, you won’t. Our security is too tight. You don’t even know which way to go. You need me.”

  “I’m smart.”

  “Not as smart as I am. And even if you are, you won’t be given an opportunity to escape. Mother knows your value. That has to be why she hasn’t started altering you yet. No conditioning, no drugs, no implants.”

  “Value?”

  “She wants you for some reason I can’t figure out.”

  He stared at her for a long time, as if trying to decide what to say. Or perhaps whether to say anything. “I was already altered. Before birth. That’s why she wants me.”

  Jordyn suddenly recalled some files she’d read years ago about a pair of siblings that had their genetic codes tweaked. At the time she’d just learned that Mother had done the same to her before birth. Jordyn had wanted to know who her father was, but none of the research had given her a name. All she knew was she was different. The changes Mother had made to her were part of her genetic code. Unlike all the other subjects, she could pass her anomalies on to her offspring.

  As far as she knew, there were only three genetically altered subjects who had survived.

  “Do you know what she’s going to do to you?” Jordyn asked.

  “No idea. You?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve searched your files. There’s nothing in there about her plans. She’s barely even touched you. Just taken some blood and that one DNA swab.”

  “Swab?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  He shook his head. “Must have been asleep. Thanks for the gum.”

  “If they check your room they’ll find it.”

  “I won’t say it was from you.”

  “I’m not worried about that,” she lied. If that gum was found, chances were Jordyn would spend some serious time in the White Room. Still, she wasn’t going to show fear to this man—not when she was trying to convince him she’d be a good partner. “But we do need to make our move soon. The longer we go before getting out of here, the greater the risk of discovery.” And of him having something horrible done to him.

  “No. You’ve done enough.”

  “I’m not going to fight with you about this. Our time is better spent planning our escape.”

  “There is no our. I go. You stay.”

  “I can’t stay. When Mother finds out what I’ve done—and she will—she’ll put me in the White Room.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s her version of a torture chamber. No blood or bodily damage. Just pain.”

  “I can take pain.”

  “Not like this. The last time she sent me there, I nearly died.”

  “You’re her child,” he said, his tone horrified.

  “I’m her experiment. And I don’t think she counts me as a successful one, either. Some days I wonder why she even cares that I stay here.”

  “You want to leave,” he said.

  “Wouldn’t you?”

  He stared at her for a moment as if searching for a lie. “Where are we?”

  “If I tell you that, will you promise to take me with you?”

  “No. Tell me.”

  “Why? So I can wait for the next test subject skilled enough to help me get away for good? I don’t think so.”

  “You don’t know my skills.”

  “I’ve looked you up. Read the reports. Mother has been keeping an eye on all of you at the Edge. She says that’s where several of the people on the List have been hiding.”

  Jordyn had only recently learned about the List—a string of names listing those who had been subjected to the experiments of Mother and the other scientists working for the Threshold Project years ago. Most of them had been small children at the time—young enough to be altered by various drugs and procedures. Too young to be reliable witnesses.

  Those children had since grown up, and Mother was determined to find as many of them as she could. She claimed they were the key to recovering the research that had been destroyed in the fire that had nearly killed her.

  If there was one thing Jordyn knew as the absolute truth, it was that Mother would never stop until she had everything she wanted. It didn’t matter how many people had to get hurt or killed. It didn’t matter how many lives she destroyed along the way. Mother got what she wanted. Always.

  Gage fell silent as he studied her face. Jordyn didn’t know if he was searching for a lie or trying to figure out how to convince her to stay here. Maybe a little of both.

  “You’ve been here for weeks,” she said. “You haven’t figured out how to escape yet. Who’s to say you don’t stay here for years longer? Is that what you want? And what about me? I won’t survive here much longer. Every trip I take to the White Room is worse than the last.” She shuddered at the thought, but refused to look away from his steady gaze. “The next one could kill me. I need to get out of here.”

  His mouth tightened and his eyes closed for a moment. He let out a resigned breath. “What’s your plan?”

  “I get the new security codes for the external doors, come back here, take you with me. You’ll have to be ready to run. We’ll only have about three minutes to get out before the alarm resets.”

  “Weapons?”

  “I don’t have any.”

  “Can you get one?”

  She thought through the process it would take to acquire one of the guard’s guns. The armory worked on a completely separate security system. Breaking into that would not only be difficult, but it would also most certainly get her discovered before she had time to reach Gage.

  Jordyn shook her head. “I can’t reach the guns. It’s too risky.”

  “Knife?”

  “They’re all implanted with microchips. If anyone tries to take one from the kitchen, it sets off an alarm. I might be able to hack the system, but I’ve never tried.”

  “Don’t. Not worth the risk. What’s your exit strategy?”

  “I can cut off one of the elevators from the main control system, hijacking it. Once we reach the surface, we’ll take one of the trucks. I should be able to get keys.”

  “Should?”

  “I’ve done it before.”

  He nodded. “Where are we?”

  “I won’t give you specifics, because if I do, you’ll think you don’t need my help. But I will tell you that we’re belowground. The nearest town is miles away. All that’s nearby is grazing land filled with cows. Lots and lots of cows.”

  “How far to Dallas?”

  “Hours. That’s all I’ll say.”r />
  Frustration lined his brow. He pressed his weight more fully against her, but instead of her body interpreting it as some kind of threat, that strange, deep part of her perked up in excitement. A quivering kind of energy spread down her limbs, making her shake. The oxygen in the room seemed to thin, forcing her to breathe faster to compensate.

  She had the strangest urge to press her mouth against his. She was looking at it, trying to figure out why she’d want to kiss him when he tilted her chin up with one finger.

  “Eyes up here,” he said in a rough, quiet voice.

  She did as he asked only to find that his pupils were huge. His skin was flushed. A line of sweat had formed along his brow.

  His thumb stroked her chin. The caress sent all kinds of tingling sensations winging down her spine.

  Whatever effect this man was having on her, she was certain it wasn’t the kind of thing that was going to help her concentrate on escape.

  Or anything else.

  “I should go,” she said. Her voice was faint and weak.

  His hand slid down to encircle her throat. Now he was the one staring at her mouth. “Is it safe?”

  “As safe as it’s going to get.”

  He jerked his gaze away from her and focused on the wall just past her left ear. His spine straightened, and whatever heat she thought she’d seen in his eyes was gone now. “When do we go?”

  “Soon. A day or two. I need some time to put things in place. It’ll be around this time when we make our move.”

  “I’ll be ready,” he said, completely confident.

  Jordyn only wished she could share his confidence, because the truth was, they were both probably going to die trying to make their escape. She only hoped that if she did, her life was ended with a nice, fast bullet, rather than days of suffering in the White Room.

  * * *

  Gage waited for over an hour before he moved back into the camera’s eye. He didn’t want to do anything to risk getting Jordyn discovered.

  She was his way out, his ticket to finding Stynger’s location and taking her down for good. Using the daughter to destroy the mother was his only option, but it didn’t sit well with him.

  He didn’t like the idea of using Jordyn at all, but it was his only choice. He had to find a way to get past his guilt. Even when she looked at him like she wanted to kiss him.