Fight By The Team (Team Fear Book 2) (15 page)

“That’s probably good enough.” Debi turned so he could loop the sling around her neck. She lifted her hair out of her way with her good hand, exposing her neck. For the first time, he noticed the long slender line, as delicate as her wrist. He rubbed a knuckle down her spine from her nape to the edge of the shirt. Her breath hitched, but she didn’t step away.

The silk of her skin drew his touch. He bent low to drop a kiss to the tender skin under her hairline. His nose nuzzled her neck, drowning in her scent. The breath strangled in his lungs. The chemistry between them had been instant, from the moment he tucked her curvy body into his and dove for cover when Echo had tried to infiltrate her ranch house. He’d wanted his hands on her, but he wasn’t in the position to act on those desires. They were at war, and she was injured. His hand stilled. He stepped back, physically and mentally.

A groan loaded with frustration climbed her throat. “Rose, the thing with Echo that could have happened, but
didn’t
,” she emphasized, “doesn’t change a thing. The attraction is mutual.”

Over her shoulder, he could see her chest rise and fall with each shallow breath, and the sight left him speechless.

“I’m not sorry about what just happened,” she continued. “I’m not sorry about the kiss in the lab. We’re going to have to deal with it. I’m betting on soon.” Without looking back, she made her exit to his silence. The clock ticked off the seconds, and then minutes, since her departure, and still Rose didn’t move. The chemistry was like the weather outside. Undeniable. Unchangeable. He wouldn’t even if he could, because it was the first thing in months that made him feel alive. He welcomed it like a lost limb at the same time as he caged it.

No one had watched out for Debi, so he’d do what others had failed to do. He’d protect her, from himself most of all.

Debi walked in on the most laughter she’d heard since a Saturday night at the bar. Camy’s howls turned to a snort, which sent her into another spasm of giggles. The counter held her as she leaned over and attempted to stifle a serious case of the giggles.

Stills had his hands in a sink of suds, but when he saw Debi, he pulled both hands up in a sign of surrender. Suds dripped down his corded arms. “I didn’t touch her.”

“It’s not me you have to worry about.”

The words sent Camy into another raucous round until she finally dropped onto the floor. “Oh my God, you have to tell her. Dean tells the best stories.” She swiped moisture from her eyes. “About River.”

The mind boggled. Why Rose had a problem with his first name was still a mystery.

Stills shook his head. “No way in hell am I repeating that story.” He rinsed off a large pot and set it to dry on the counter. “Dinner’s in five minutes. Debi, do you mind letting everyone know?”

“I don’t mind if you tell me where everyone is.”

“Oh, they all trooped up to their rooms about a half hour ago.”

“That’s great. Where are their rooms?”

Stills dried his hands on a nearby towel. “That’s right.” His grin grew. “You’re down here. With River Rose.”

“Not
with him
, with him. In the same hall.” Oh, yeah, now that she heard his name in Still’s teasing voice, she totally got why Rose didn’t want his buddies knowing. “I’ll figure it out.” Debi didn’t have a clue where the staircase was hiding, but didn’t want to stick around and explain her relationship with Rose, because obviously there was no relationship, and after she spooked him earlier today...

“I’ll come with you,” Camy said. She reached a hand out. “Help me up.”

Debi reached out with her free arm to give Camy a boost, and then followed her down a narrow hall to a set of stairs. Rose’s little sister had the same blonde hair, cut into a pixie style that showed off high cheekbones and a delicate nose. “Those are some pretty fabulous genes you Rose kids share.”

“How’s that?”

“You know, blonde hair, blue eyes.” Gorgeous.

“Not so great when you grow up in a small town. Every year, my new teacher said the same thing on the first day of class. Look at you. Spitting image of your sisters. You’ve gotta be a Rose girl.”

Debi climbed, but damn the narrow set of stairs were long. “Doesn’t seem like such a bad legacy.”

“That’s because you haven’t met my sisters. Not a rule breaker in the bunch.”

“I’d bet good money that you’re a troublemaker.”

Camy turned, her face in a radiant smile. “Thanks. Nicest thing you could say.” She pounded on several doors and kept walking. “Dinner,” she hollered. She pounded on a few more before they came out at the top of a staircase leading down to the main room. “Are you sleeping with my brother?”

Holy cow, the girl moved fast. Debi stepped to the left side of the stairs and held the rail on the way down. “Um, no.”

“Why not?”

Wow. “Um...” Debi stumbled her way down the rest of the stairs and came to a rest at the bottom. It usually took more than a vivacious twenty-something to make her stutter. Finally, she pointed to her sling. “I got shot. That’s why.”

“Oh, well, good reason. Hold up. Let me show you something.” She slipped an arm around Debi’s and pulled her next to the fireplace that stood in the center of the room. “We’re about to get a dinner show.”

Craft was the first to hit the stairs, his normally light brown hair wet and tousled, looking like a runway model on steroids. The breadth of his chest nearly matched Rose, who had him beat in height and width. He jogged down the stairs before he caught a glimpse. “You two coming?”

“In a minute.” Camy smiled and waved like a pageant contestant. “Girl talk.”

He skipped out like he’d rather clean toilets than sit around and listen to girl talk. “Get’s them every time,” Camy said. “So, are you planning to make a move on my brother?”

Debi’s head spun. Maybe she’d entered an alternate universe where sweet-natured Camy was about to go all Rambo on her ass. “Would that bother you?”

“Not at all. Hold on.” She touched a hand to Debi’s shoulder. “Here comes contestant number two.”

Fowler took the stairs two at a time, showing his familiarity with his surroundings and his outstanding physical conditioning. A dinner show indeed. The way his arms moved brought attention to his biceps. Drool worthy. He took one look at Debi and Camy and swiped a nervous hand over the tips of his spiked hair. He took the quickest path to the kitchen.

“Talk about gifted genes.” Camy fanned her face. “Where in the name of God’s earth did the Army find these men? Because men built like this do not exist in the real world.”

“I see your point.” Debi had an idea about that, but she’d wait until they were all together. “Was Rose always so... built?”

“Mostly.” Camy frowned as if trying to recall. “I mean, he was always so much older, he seemed like a giant. Sure, his suit coat keeps getting wider, but he’s still the same. I mean, he worked on the farm until he joined the Army, so his body had to keep up with the chores.”

That was one way to think of it, but she’d love to see proof. “You don’t happen to have any older pictures of him, would you?”

“Like blackmail pictures.” The hint of sibling rivalry showed on her delicate features. “I’ll check my phone... Oh, crap, Fowler confiscated it, but I’ll see what I can dig up. Wait, here comes contestant number three.”

Ryder preceded Lauren down the stairs, holding her hand in his bandaged one. Even without his leather jacket, he looked like a badass in a skin-tight black t-shirt and jeans. The thick biker boots made an intimidating clunk on the stairs.

“Oh, well, I know he’s married and all, but it can’t hurt to look. Do you think the Army did some genetic manipulation or something?”

“Definitely not genetic manipulation.” The science wasn’t there yet. At least she didn’t think so.

“But something, right?”

Ryder pulled Lauren into him at the bottom of the stairs. Lauren tilted her head and whispered something they couldn’t hear. Ryder responded by dropping a gentle kiss to her lips.

“God, isn’t that the sexiest thing?” Camy whispered.

Debi held her words until Ryder and Lauren disappeared into the kitchen. “How did you figure out about the runway show?”

“Oh, you mean the view from the fireplace? Caught it by accident this morning. Was having a little bit of a pity party with my first cup of coffee and they started down the stairs like contestants from
The Bachelorette
, you know, that reality show?”

First cup of coffee? “How much coffee have you had?”

“I don’t count. Some things in life should remain a mystery.”

Now that the show was over, Debi stepped around the fireplace. “Maybe you should cut back?”

“On coffee? Not a chance. Before we go eat, answer my question. Are you going to make a move?”

As if her thoughts had conjured him, Rose stepped through the door and peered around the fireplace. “Let’s eat, girls.” He glanced between the two as if trying to decipher the situation. “Now.”

And like that, he was gone. “Is he always so...” There were no words for how he messed with her head.

“Bossy, short-tempered, and protective.” Camy nodded her head solemnly. “Fair warning.”

Debi glanced longingly at the kitchen. The last ten minutes had been a Camy-sized tornado. “Are you trying to warn me off?”

“Not at all. I figure if he finds himself a woman, he’ll have less time to harass me. I swear to God, all I’m asking for is one day without him hounding me.”

“So all you want is one day to yourself?”

“Oh, honey, I’m hoping you can distract him for longer than that.” Camy pulled her into the kitchen.

Debi was halfway into her spaghetti pie before she regained her equilibrium. That’s when she realized Camy had maneuvered her onto the long bench sitting thigh-to-thigh with Rose. She definitely needed to keep an eye on Camy. She was chipper and sweet and sneaky as hell.

N
ews
of the GHB had made the rounds, so it was a somber dinner. Rose ate his spaghetti pie in silence. It was the only thing Stills knew how to make, but they each had to take turns according to the chart by the pantry that put Debi and Craft on cleanup after dinner. The idea of them spending time together gnawed at something inside he didn’t want to examine too closely. He stuffed another bite in his mouth.

Beside him, Debi’s hand twitched. Most of her food was still on her plate where she’d twirled it into endless circles.

“You okay?” he asked under his breath. “And don’t say fine.”

She peeked through thick lashes. “The preliminary results are in on the water bottle, but I don’t know how to...” She gestured in a circle around the table.

“Get their attention?”

“That, plus I’m not sure how to start.”

“Easy.” He whistled until every eye was looking at him. “Debi has more results.”

“You have the subtlety of a tank,” she muttered behind a smile.

“You’re welcome.”

With fork in hand, she lowered her arm under the table and stabbed him in the thigh. “You know about the GHB.” She cast a glance at Lauren before she continued. “But I also ran a screen of the water bottles until I found the one I believe was used to dose Ryder.”

Rose removed the fork before she pierced his skin. “What did you find?”

“There are compounds I couldn’t positively identify without further tests, but the predominant toxins found in the water were amphetamines combined with a high dose of anabolic steroids.”

Curses were muttered around the table. Rose set the fork onto his plate. “I specifically asked the doctors. Before I signed the papers. I was told no steroids.”

Debi rested her empty hand on his thigh. “We don’t know if they were included in your original compound, but I wonder if you noticed a change when you started the program. Did you start to bulk up? Temper shorten?”

“Roid rage is a myth.” Stills pushed back from the table. “And I for one didn’t notice any changes. You guys?”

The word no was tossed around, but the doubt on Debi’s face was obvious. “We couldn’t help notice that you guys are built...” She used her left hand to mark one side, while Camy used hers to an exaggerated distance away. “Big. We’ll call that outside the range of normal.”

Fowler stood and took his plate to the sink. “They picked us for our size, or that’s one of the reasons. Our loyalty and dedication were another.”

Janet kicked back from her seat at the head of the table. Her gaze traveled around the room for silent moments. “I see what you’re saying, but Jake was more or less this size before he joined the teams.”

“I don’t think we should discount it,” Debi insisted. “The addition of steroids would make the teams more aggressive, which in battle is a positive, but they’d also explain the anger issues.”

“The aggression and anger issues are things the Army would want. Hell, I know some survivalists who use it for those same reasons.” Janet helped Fowler clear the table. “Improved muscle mass, performance, and strength.”

“Increased risk taking,” Debi added. She nibbled uncertainly on her lower lip.

“You’re talking impulse control?” An angry flush covered Ryder’s face. “The all-out need to succeed at any cost. Bold, violent, no pain.”

Debi nodded. “Isn’t that similar to what you experienced that night they dosed you?”

“I felt mindless. Impulsive.” He nodded, not looking too happy about it. “But that could have been the amphetamines. Arriving at the proper dosages for the experiments was hell, but I don’t remember ever feeling as out of control as I did the night Echo took you and Lauren.”

“The situation of Lauren in danger could have been a catalyst unlike any we experienced in the desert,” Rose offered. They’d barely made it to Ryder in time to prevent him from going in without backup or weapon. “The drugs pushed you the rest of the way.”

“It worked with Mad Dog and Gault.” Stills swirled tea in his glass. “We have to assume they’ll try again, given the opportunity.”

“I think we should work very hard to deny them the opportunity.” Debi twisted in her seat, trying to get free but was trapped between Rose and Camy. He slid out of the way and let her free. “The long-term side effects are severe. Liver and kidney damage. At the dosages in the bottle, and we don’t know if that’s within the normal range, you could see heart attack, stroke, or seizure. I would never...” Her free hand shook as she walked to the sink and refilled her water glass. “The careless mixture of different classes of drugs is irresponsible. They could have had no idea what the mixture would do. I would never do to another human being what they did to you. There are compounds in the water that I’m assuming are the propriety formula they used for the fearlessness. I want... No, I
need
to go to the university lab to test so I can figure out what they used.”

“No.” Rose stood, his heart racing.

“We need to discuss it.” Ryder stood and rested a hand on Lauren’s shoulder. “The whole point of this is to find out what the fuck they did to us. If the university has equipment that can reverse engineer the compounds, then it’s worth the risk.”

“That’s easy for you to say.” Because his woman would stay in the secure area of the manor. Shit, Rose couldn’t use that, because Debi wasn’t his woman. He moved closer, the need to smash something an impulse he didn’t want to deny. “I pushed for Lauren to go into the bank, and she ended up getting hijacked by the meth heads, so we made a deal, then and there. The women don’t go into danger.”

“The women have a voice.” Camy stabbed a finger at him. “You’re not everyone’s surrogate father, River. You don’t speak for everyone.”

His gaze whipped to his sister. “Camellia, we’re not talking life and death here, although that’s enough to give me veto power over you. We’re talking torture, mutilation, and pain beyond what your comfortable little life could possibly prepare you for. Extended pain.” The sight of Maggie Madigan still haunted his restless nights. No way would Camy or Debi or any of the women be put into that position. Not when he could prevent it. “If it’s so damned important to test this stuff, we can break into university labs. Run the tests for her.”

“Her? I’m right here. And for the record, I’m the only one who knows how to operate the equipment and knows what we’re looking for.” Her eyes tightened with pain like they had when she’d lifted the weights. “I told you on day one, I’m not hiding behind some he-man with an ego the size of the solar system. The day with Echo and the car chase is a prime example. I need to act so I don’t panic. I’m doing this with or without you, and right now, without you sounds like a decent option.”

“Hold on.” Stills pushed between the two, drawing attention to the fact that the argument had shifted to just Debi and Rose. How his anger and focus had shifted was beyond him. They stood toe to toe in the kitchen, surrounded by a large audience.

“This is about the mission. Nothing else.” Stills rested a hand on each of their shoulders “She’s not yours to boss around.”

Those words were an accelerant to the fire burning inside. Stills’ smug grin was an easy fucking target. Rose pulled back and decked Stills in the jaw. Stills sprawled into the table, sending a pan of spaghetti clattering to the checkerboard tile in a spray of red. Ryder, Fowler, and Craft pushed Rose across the kitchen, but they couldn’t contain him if he didn’t want to be contained.

Stills swiped a hand across his busted lip. “That all you got?”

Ryder stabbed a finger at Stills. “Shut it.” He turned back to Rose. “We are all of us one bad day from World War III. Go for a run on the treadmill, kick the shit out of the punching bag, or dunk your head in a bag of ice. I don’t give a fuck what you do, but do not come back into this kitchen until you have your head on straight.”

“Is that an order?”

“Fuck yeah it’s an order.”

Craft and Fowler pushed him toward the door but he shook them off. Debi’s eyes followed his movements. The fear, the way she shrank from his gaze was all he needed right now. The move made it crystal fucking clear why the kiss in the lab could not be repeated. He saw it in her eyes. They were stick-a-fork-in-me done.

No one needed to push him further away. He walked on his own down the hall.

“Sergeant, Rose.” Janet’s still, calm voice cut through the bullshit in his head. If anyone else in that room had tried to stop him, he would have kept walking, but the touch of her resolute voice stopped Rose cold.

Breath panted out for all he kept bottled inside. Six months he’d compartmentalized the anger and the grief, but the events of the past few weeks had eroded his control. He was a dangerous and volatile substance waiting for the right catalyst. Only Janet’s soft voice put a lid back on it.

“I expect you to clean this up when you’re done.”

The hall in front of him narrowed and fogged. What the fuck was wrong with him? He made it halfway to his room before he called back. “Yes, ma’am.”

Debi shivered as she watched Rose disappear down the hall. It was the first time she’d seen one of the men lose his temper, except Ryder, but he’d been under the influence of amphetamines and God knew what else at the time. The anger issues as a side effect were academic until she watched Rose face punch one of his best friends.

Janet clapped her hands together and all attention shifted to the petite brunette. “Let’s take this out to the great room.”

“I’ll make coffee,” Fowler offered.

“I’ll help.” Camy’s overly cheerful voice didn’t fool anyone.

The troops started out to the main room, but Debi stayed back a bit, needing to regain her equilibrium.

Camy picked up the unspoiled tray of spaghetti pie from the table. “I don’t want the food to go to waste, because I’m betting it will be a few hours before he gets that much anger out of his system.”

“Don’t clean up,” Fowler insisted.

“Wasn’t planning on it. As he is so fond of telling me, he made the mess, he can clean it up.” She wrapped aluminum foil on the top of the pan. “That’s the first time I’ve seen my brother lose it.” She gave Debi a sympathetic nod. “It’s either the woman or the drugs.”

Fowler measured coffee into the brewer. “Or a combination of both.”

Debi turned back to the main room, no longer wanting to be a fly on the wall. The mood in the other room wasn’t much better, but she figured she needed to pull the bandage off the rest of the way. “The equipment I need is in the secure lab. I think I can convince Allyson to let me in. To help me.”

“Who is Allyson?” Ryder grabbed a pen and paper, reminding her of Rose.

How to explain? “A friend.”

“Barry’s sister,” Lauren added.

Debi’s personal life was bantered around for several minutes before she interrupted. “Her brother is an ass, but Allyson is a good person. The last time I ran into her and Barry, she wanted to talk. Asked me to call her, so I say I give her that call. Set up a meet. In person I know I can convince her to let me use the equipment.”

Stills leaned forward, propping his hands on his knees. “Say that’s true. How do you get around the brother? Doesn’t he run the labs?”

Debi cleared her throat. “One Saturday a month, he has a regular poker game with other faculty members. At my father’s house. Barry’s a brown noser. He won’t miss a night. The labs will be minimally staffed and if Allyson helps me out, we’ll have keycard access.”

“If you go in with Allyson, you go without backup.” Ryder rubbed a hand over Lauren’s thigh. “After what happened at the bank, I don’t like it.”

The ache in her chest marked the beginning of an attack. Debi rubbed a hand over her collarbone.
Deep breath.
She heard Rose’s voice in her head counting to eight and back down again.
Deep breath.
“It’s a secure area, so I won’t be completely exposed.” She swallowed. “You guys can stake out the area and make it safe.”

“Right now, the plan has holes,” Craft said.

Convincing them was paramount. The suspicions she’d had needed to be verified, and for that, she needed the lab equipment. Her heart flexed. “Don’t hold back on my account. Tell me how you really feel.”

“Fixing holes is what we do.” Craft winked. “Which Saturday are we talking?”

“Don’t say this Saturday,” Stills added.

Her hand twitched with unspent nerves. “This Saturday.”

“That doesn’t give us much time,” Ryder said.

Craft agreed. “But we’ve planned missions in less time.”

They weren’t saying no. Debi’s vision went spotty around the edges. When she’s planned this out in her head, she never thought they’d agree. Lauren hopped out of her seat and grabbed her hand. “I need a word with you.” She pulled her into the kitchen.

Camy and Fowler were flirting by the coffee maker.

“The guys were wondering where the coffee is,” Lauren told them.

“It’s ready.” Camy looped several empty cups through her fingers. “Jake, if you’d get the pot.”

Neither gave them a second glance on the way to the great room. After they passed, Debi released a breath she hadn’t realize she’d held. The fog in her head spread, her heartbeat pounded. She snapped the band on her wrist, felt the sting.