Enigma:What Lies Beneath (Enigma Series Book 1) (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Abbie awoke, feeling groggy and sadly alone. She missed Hauke’s presence something fierce.

A glance at the clock on the bedside table told her he’d been gone for almost two hours. He should have returned before now.

She got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom to brush her teeth before pulling up a chair in front of the small television to find Doctor Raducha giving a speech to the press.

She’d met Martin at a conference in Atlanta a few years back. He had been with the CDC for nearly two decades, and from what she knew of the man, he took his job very seriously.

Psinum Incola, he’d called it, which meant they were aware of the virus’s origin and wouldn’t stop until they got their hands on Hauke.

It shocked her at how many people had fallen prey to Incola in the month she’d been hidden in the bunker. Close to two thousand people had already died, with another thousand showing symptoms.

She laid a hand over the unborn child resting inside her womb. What if something happened and she became infected, exposing her baby to the deadly bacteria? She couldn’t finish the thought.

“Hauke
?” she mentally called out to him, jumping from the chair to pace in front of the television.

“
Yes, my love. Are you well?”

She could feel the concern in his voice. “
I am fine. I’m just worried about you. Did you find your sister? Are you on your way back to me?”

“
Naura is very weak and unable to swim. It has slowed us down tremendously, but we will be there soon.”

“Thank God. Please be safe.”

The door suddenly opened, and a pale-faced Tony entered the room. He closed it softly behind him. “Where’s the alien?”

“His name is Hauke,” Abbie snapped, accepting a cell phone Tony extended toward her. “What’s this for?”

“To talk to your father.”

Her voice shook with excitement in anticipation of speaking with Henry. “But how? Can’t it be traced?”

“I sent him a burner phone exactly like the one you’re holding. He will only be able to contact you this once at which time he has been instructed to destroy his temporary cell the second he disconnects the call. You will do the same.”

“But how will I reach him if I need him?”

“You won’t. I will replace the burner phones with new ones for as long as I can without running the risk of being exposed. You’re going to have to practice patience. Now, he will be calling in the next thirty minutes, so I suggest you keep it close.”

Grateful beyond words, Abbie ran forward and threw her arms around her uncle’s neck. “Thank you, Tony. Thank you so much.”

He stiffened but didn’t pull back. “Don’t thank me yet, girl. If he gets caught in possession of that phone, I can’t promise what will become of him.”

“Meaning what?” She backed up to study his face.

“Meaning that they will go to any lengths to get their hands on your alien, and if Henry doesn’t talk…” Tony left the rest of his sentence to her imagination.

“But he doesn’t know where Hauke is, Tony. They will torture him or even kill him.”

“Speaking of Hauke.” He stressed the name with more than a little sarcasm. “Where is he?”

Abbie held the burner phone in a death grip while she filled her uncle in on Hauke’s mission to save Naura.

“You’re telling me his sister is running amuck also?” Tony growled, dragging a hand through his long gray hair. “How many more of these things are out there?”

“From what I understood, there were a total of five Bracadytes with Hauke when the explosion happened.”

“Five,” Tony repeated in a flat tone. “I’m afraid this has only just begun, Abbie.”

“What are you talking about?”

Tony brushed past her to stand in front of the television. “If it were only Hauke we had to be concerned with, the CDC might have a chance at containing the virus. But if what you say is true, there are five more potential carriers roaming free, not to mention the one you have in your belly right now.”

A soft gasp escaped her at Tony’s words. He’d just referred to her unborn child as a carrier, a danger to mankind. “Oh God, Uncle Tony, what if my baby is infected? What if he doesn’t make it?”

“And you so sure it’s a he?” A muscle ticked along his jaw.

Was she? For reasons she couldn’t explain, Abbie felt certain the baby would be a male. “Yes. I don’t understand how I know. I just do.”

He peered at her over his shoulder, a glimpse of compassion shining in his blue eyes. “I’m sorry that you are involved in all this, but you have some serious decisions to make, and soon.”

Abbie’s heart constricted. “I’m not giving up my baby, Uncle Tony. And I’m not leaving Hauke.”

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

“One hundred percent sure. I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone or anything. I would die for him.”

“You may have to before this is over with,” he murmured in a low tone. “We all might.”

The phone suddenly rang, jerking Abbie out of her staring contest with Tony. She glanced at the caller ID. “It says restricted.”

“That’ll be Henry. I’ll give you a minute.” He trailed off into the bathroom and shut the door.

Pressing the speaker button, Abbie cleared her throat and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Abbigail?”

On rubbery legs, she made her way to the foot of the bed and sat. “Yes, Daddy, it’s me.”

“Honey, are you okay? Where are you?”

She wanted nothing more than to tell Henry exactly where she’d been the last six weeks, but she couldn’t endanger him that way. He would no doubt risk his life to seek her out. “I’m safe for now. That’s all I can tell you.”

“Baby, you have to turn that creature over to the police. He carries some deadly bacteria that’s going to kill more people in the next six months than smallpox has throughout history if he’s not stopped.”

Abbie’s heart cracked. “It’s not Hauke’s fault, Henry. He hasn’t come into contact with anyone but me and Uncle Tony.”

“Then where is this virus coming from? Can you explain that to me?”

“Maybe from the others that— ”

“Others?” he interrupted. What others?”

“There were five of them together when the President ordered the explosion of the leaking oil well in the gulf. Hauke’s sister is the only one that’s been recovered besides him.”

Henry grew quiet for a moment. “They have families?”

“Yes, Daddy. They feel things the same as you and me. They love, protect, and help one another. They’re not what you think.”

“It doesn’t matter what I think. The president has called in everyone from the Homeland Security to the Secretary of Defense and everything in between. You’re not safe as long as you continue to harbor that creature.”

“Daddy, I’m pregnant,” Abbie blurted. The tears swimming in her eyes spilled over to track down her cheeks.

Henry remained silent long enough she thought he’d hung up on her. “Oh, sweetheart, no. Were you forced by that—that thing?”

Abbie bounded from the bed, anger quickly replacing her grief. “How dare you say such a thing about Hauke? He has been better to me than any other man I’ve ever known.”

“That’s just it, Abbie. He’s not a man at all, and if you don’t relinquish him to the authorities, you’ll go down right alongside him when he’s caught. And they will catch him, baby.”

“It’s too late for that, Sutherland,” Tony announced, stepping back into the room. “She knows too much. She’s dead either way unless I can figure out how to make her disappear.”

“Like you did with your own wife and child?” Henry snarled, his voice raised in anger.

Tony’s expression hardened. He snatched the phone from Abbie’s numb fingers. “Let’s get something straight, you son of a bitch. The only reason your daughter is alive right now is because of me. Not you. Me. And if you ever mention my wife or child to me or anyone else again, I will remove your balls with my bare hands and hang them from the flagpole in front of your precious lab. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly. Now put my daughter back on the line.”

Abbie accepted the phone Tony thrust at her. “You should be ashamed, Henry. Uncle Tony is trying to help us.”

“I know, honey. I’m just worried about you. Why did you have to involve yourself in this? You’re so stubborn.”

“I came by it honestly.”

“Yeah, that’s what scares me. Listen, baby. I have the tissue samples and the small amount of blood that I took from the creature. I’ve been running tests, researching it day and night. If I had more of its blood, it would go a long way in helping us find a cure or at the very least a vaccine.”

“How would I get it to you if I can get him to agree to donate? They would know that you’ve been in contact with me and probably use you as bait to draw us out. It’s too risky.”

“She’s right,” Tony piped in. “They can’t know she has been in touch with you. They wouldn’t think twice about offering you as a trade. You can’t put her through that. I won’t stand for it.”

“I have to go. Someone’s coming.” The call disconnected before Abbie could say goodbye.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Hauke waited until the guards moved up the beach before rising from the water with Naura in his arms.

“What is it, brother? I can feel the tension coming from you.”

“We must remain silent, sweet Naura. There are those who wish to harm us nearby,”
he mentally conveyed to her. “
We are nearly to our destination.”

Moving as quietly as possible, Hauke slipped onto shore unnoticed and scampered toward the copse of trees that housed the hidden door beneath the stump.

He pushed the stump back and lifted the hatch, adjusting Naura in his arms as he turned and made his way down the steep steps that would take him to the bunker…and his mate.

Abbie’s voice drifting through the door at the end of the narrow passageway was a balm to his soul. She had survived in his absence.

He turned the knob and pushed the door wide. The sight of his sweet Abbie with tears in her eyes tore at his heart.

She swiped the back of her hand across her cheeks and ran toward him, talking so fast he could barely keep up. “You made it. Is this Naura? Is she hurt? Oh, my God, I was so worried. Is she hungry? Put her over there on the bed, and I’ll get her some dry clothes. You must be starved. Did you— ”

“Abbie,” Hauke interrupted. “I will answer all of your questions in due time. I am fine, but Naura is weak. She has lost a lot of blood.” He kissed the tip of Abbie’s nose and strode across the small space toward the bathroom.

“She needs blood?” Abbie was right on his heels.

Hauke nodded and turned on the faucets to draw a bath. “I need to raise her body temperature.”

“How can I help?”

Hauke gently laid his sister in the bath and took a step back. “You can remove her clothing and help her to bathe.”

“Is this your Abbie?” Naura asked, blinking up at Hauke’s mate. “She is different from the Bracadyte females. Quite lovely though.”

“Yes, my sister, this is Abbie. She will be assisting with your bath.”

“I am quite capable of bathing myself, brother. I may be weak, but I am no invalid.” She reached for the ties of her vest, to no avail. Her hands fell limply at her sides. “Perhaps a small amount of help is required.”

“I’ll take good care of her, Hauke. I promise.” Abbie knelt next to the tub, speaking in a soothing tone. “Here, let me…”

Hauke turned toward the door. “I will wait in the other room.”

Tony stood in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee, eyeing Hauke as he closed the distance between them. “Your sister is damn near as big as you,” Tony remarked, taking another sip of coffee.

“It would seem that way.” Hauke didn’t care for Tony’s observation of his sister, nor his opinion. “Any news of Abbie’s father?”

With a nod, Tony briefed Hauke on the recent phone call from Henry. “She’s pretty upset with him, and rightfully so. I’d like to wring his skinny neck myself.”

“You do not care for him,” Hauke pointed out unnecessarily.

“What gave it away?” Tony returned sarcastically. “He has his own agenda, and Abbie always seemed to come secondary to his career. Marlene wouldn’t have approved had she lived.”

“Who is Marlene?”

“She was Abbie’s mother.”

“How did she die?”

Tony scratched at his full beard. “Cancer. She fought it hard for three years before finally losing the battle. Abbie took it hard, had to see a psychiatrist for a time” “

And her father?”

“Henry was never there for her. He threw himself into his work and left her alone far too much in my opinion. Of course, opinions are like asses. Everybody has one.”

It hurt Hauke’s heart to envision a young Abbie lost and alone in the world. “She had no one else?”

“I don’t know. I lost touch with her shortly after Marlene passed.” Tony rubbed the back of his neck. “You do realize that your sister being here increases Abbie’s chances of being found.”

Hauke knew the risks involved with bringing Naura to the bunker. “I am aware. I will return her home as soon as she is strong enough to travel.”

“And how long will that take?”

Fighting a growl, Hauke attempted to relax his stance. “For as long as needed.”

“Hauke?” Abbie called from the bathroom. “Look in the second drawer of the dresser against the wall and bring me the pink gown lying on top.”

Turning from Abbie’s uncle, Hauke strode across the room to do her bidding. He plucked the pink gown from its resting place and rushed into the bathroom.

Naura sat on the side of the tub with a towel wrapped around her nude form. Abbie grabbed the brush from next to the sink and held her hand out for the gown. “Thank you. I’ll help her into it.”

Aware of Naura’s need for privacy, Hauke presented them with his back.

“
She has a good soul, my brother.”
His sister’s mentally spoken words touched him.

“I know. She is my life.”

“As you are mine,”
Abbie verbally responded.

“How?” Naura’s small gasp filled the bathroom, leaving no doubt of her shock at Abbie’s ability to hear Hauke’s thoughts.

Hauke slowly faced his sister. “She is special, Naura. I am not certain if it is because of the blood she freely offered me or from an experience we shared long ago.”

Naura struggled to stand, now wearing the pink gown that barely covered her thighs.

She stood a head taller than his mate, yet had the same innocence as Abbie shining from her jade-green eyes.

“You are very fortunate, brother.”

“Yes. I cannot live without her.” He meandered his way deeper into the bathroom and brushed his lips across Abbie’s sweet mouth. “Go rest. I will bring her.”

“Okay. I’ll get the bed ready.”

Hauke watched her hips sway with every step she took until she disappeared from his view.

“You do realize I can hear your thoughts,” Naura confessed, looping an arm around his neck as he bent and lifted her against his chest.

“I would suggest you not listen,” he teased with a grin. “You are likely to hear something you do not wish to hear.”

Naura blushed. “Say no more.”

Hauke carried his sister to the bed Abbie had tidied up for her and laid her in the center.

He pulled the blankets up to her chest before straightening to address the room’s occupants. “I fed her what I could catch on the way here, but she has lost a lot of blood.”

“It’s not like we keep the stuff lying around,” Tony quipped, easing closer to the bed. He stopped and gazed down at Hauke’s sister, a surprised look registering on his face.

“She can have some of mine,” Abbie offered, presenting the same wrist she had given to Hauke many weeks ago.

Hauke gently took hold of her arm. “No, Abbie. The baby needs your blood. I will go in search of a nearby animal— ”

“Whoa. Wait a minute.” Tony held up a hand. “We can’t risk you being seen and giving away our position. Why can’t you give her yours?”

“It is not only the blood that she needs to survive. There are healing agents in animal and human blood that our kind do not carry. Humans have more than animals, but it is strictly forbidden to take from them.”

Abbie’s brow furrowed. “Why is it forbidden?”

Hauke took a deep breath. “We have remained hidden for hundreds of years, safe from human contact. The enzymes you carry make us stronger and speed up our healing. As with human drugs, the blood becomes addictive in the weaker ones, creating a bloodlust.”

“What the hell is bloodlust?” Tony blurted, inching closer to the bed.

“An uncontrollable craving resulting in chaos and death for your kind.”

Tony seemed to process that piece of information. “In other words, infecting us with the Incola virus.”

“Not necessarily,” Hauke responded. “The bacteria we carry is not in our blood. It is in our venom.”

“Your what?” Tony took a quick step back, his body visibly tightening in defense mode.

Hauke slowly lifted the hem of his pants and twisted his foot toward Abbie and her uncle. “Notice how the skin above the ankle is a shade darker?”

At their nod, he continued. “That is a barb. It contains venom used to paralyze our prey when we hunt. They remain soft to the touch, but grow erect when filled with blood. We have them on our wrists also.” He held up one of his arms and lifted the soft barb with the fingers from his other hand.

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. “So if the venom carries the bacteria, why do the animals not get sick and die as well?”

“I am certain that would be the outcome, but we only strike what we intend to eat.”

“Like snakes…”

Abbie’s softly spoken words were a knife to Hauke’s gut. She compared him to a serpent. The lowest form of creature to the Bracadyte.

She must have sensed his thoughts. “Oh, Hauke. I didn’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just that I’m a doctor to my core, and I’m fascinated by all this.”

Abbie’s thoughts flooded Hauke’s psyche in a rush of emotion. “
I love you, Hauke. I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams that someone as amazing as you actually existed. I’m proud to call you mate…barbs and all
.”