Power Trip: Double Helix, Book 1 (15 page)

“Maybe the attack was a coincidence,” she said, but he didn’t believe she meant it.

Jake snorted. “You get attacked and suddenly your Genecorp ID is missing. Cal gets blasted with a mysterious weapon. A man poses as our father, intending to kidnap you. All coincidence? I don’t think so. It seems like somebody wants something from you and they’re getting impatient.”

Audrey’s eyes narrowed. He thought she was going to argue. “Aluminum,” she growled.

“Exactly,” Jake fired back.

“Eat,” Cal told them both. “Audrey, you aren’t doing this alone. If they are after talent, they’ll get more than they bargained for. We’ll get your mice.” Energy surged within him as his fantasy of working in his lab with her returned full force.

He would find a way to keep her safe.

Chapter Eleven

Audrey waited in the shadow of the Genecorp sign as Jake rang the bell, shades hanging from the neck of his T-shirt. Cal stood behind her. He was still and silent, but she could feel energy pouring out of him. The guard opened the door, and she was glad it was a different one from this morning, although Jake’s whammy would disguise her. Jake beckoned to them.

“Let’s go,” she said.

The guard led them straight to the door of the lab and slid his ID into the lock.

“I’ll keep him company,” Jake said to Cal. “You go with her.”

She forced herself to breathe evenly and stay loose but alert as she moved into the hall with Cal behind her. It was dark, but the emergency lights cast just enough reddish light for her to make her way down the small hall toward the lab without bumping into any walls. All of the offices were dark.
Mice. Files. Home.
The image in her head was Cal’s house, but she’d have to freak out about that later.

She approached the cooler and opened it. Relief made her sigh when she saw the labeled bag was still there. She had been half-afraid the mice would be gone. Swiftly, she grabbed the bag and tucked it into her backpack.

Files.
She shut the cooler and slipped her flash drive out of her pocket, vowing from this moment forward to back up her data every day and keep it with her at all times.

“I’m going to check the offices,” Cal whispered.

She nodded and headed across the lab to the nearest computer. She tapped the space bar to bring it to life, blinking at the sudden glare. Someone was already logged in, which would save her some time. Still, she was unfamiliar with this part of the system, and it took her a few tries to find what she sought. “Yes,” she hissed, as she discovered system backup files from yesterday.

She clicked copy, then the flash drive icon, realizing her mistake the instant before the error message flashed on the screen. Not enough room. There were thousands of files. How was she going to locate her aluminum series? Time was ticking as Jake held off the guard.

She scanned the files, relieved they were alphabetical. She gasped. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one experimenting with aluminum at Genecorp. She crossed her fingers as she attempted to copy every aluminum file, trying to remember how much room she had on the drive. Her eyes were glued to the status bar. Almost done…ninety-eight percent…ninety-nine…one-hundred. “Yes,” she whispered again, ejecting the drive.

The fluorescent lab lights clicked on, and she whirled, automatically dropping into a defensive crouch. When her vision cleared of spots, she saw Peter.

“You scared me,” she said, glancing behind him. Had Cal seen him come in?

“I didn’t expect you back so soon. How did you get in?” Peter was wearing the same clothes he’d had on earlier, but somehow he looked taller, broader and more dangerous. His air of genial distraction was gone, replaced with malevolent intensity. Something flashed in his hand, and she recognized the device the mugger had used last night. Chills slid down her spine.

“I rang the bell.” She slipped the drive into her pocket and edged sideways into the aisle, not wanting to be trapped against the lab table.

Peter moved toward her. “Try again. We’re on lockdown.” He shrugged. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’ll find out soon enough, and I’m glad you’re here since the people I keep sending to collect you aren’t taking their job seriously enough. Not like you. You are very serious about your work. Eerie, how much progress you’ve made with your experiments in so little time. Almost like it was in your genes.” His high-pitched giggle cranked her nerves even tighter. “Of course, it is in your genes. Nature versus nurture, one of the oldest debates, right? And to think it was blind luck that brought you back to the family.”

“Family? What do you mean?” No way. Not possible.

“Father is so pleased. You were lost and now you’re found. Amazing.” He laughed again. “Or so he thinks.”

“Father?” Her voice cracked.

“Mine, not yours, you poor thing. Although I guess he did have a hand in making you.” His gaze shifted to the computer screen, and a startled expression flickered across his face. He held out his hand, palm up. “I’ll need that flash drive, sweetie. The backpack too. I assume it’s full of trade secrets.”

Adrenalin flew through her veins, giving her clarity. She would bet her life that the fetal mice carried a chromosomal abnormality similar to her own.
Hindsight is twenty-twenty.
She shook her head. Slowly, she shifted her weight onto her left leg. There was no way she was giving up without a fight.

Peter wiggled his fingers and raised the wand. “I can make you give them to me.”

Could he? Was the wand powered by talent? Since she was a neutral, it might not affect her. But memories of Cal’s smoking flesh made her hesitate. By the same logic, if Peter blew a hole in her, the Doc might not be able to heal her. “What is that thing?”

“So curious and yet so blind. Do you have any idea what anybody else at Genecorp is working on?”
Only what’s on the flash drive in my pocket, asshole.

He stepped closer and she struck, whipping her leg up, then down, hitting his wrist with her instep. The weapon clattered to the floor. He staggered after it.

She dropped the backpack and leapt after him, using her momentum to power another kick. Her foot slammed into his ribs just as he got a hold of the weapon. He spun and raised the wand. “It’s set on stun—but you are making me want to hurt you. Your talent cannot protect you from this.”

She moved her hand toward her pocket, playing for time. She saw a flicker of movement in the dark hallway behind Peter. Relief washed through her as Cal emerged from the hall, holding a finger to his lips. Cal could handle Peter…unless Peter was a neutral too.

“We’re family, huh?” she asked. “Then what’s your talent?”

Peter’s lips twisted in a bitter grin. “Memory control. I lead an army of amnesiac scientists—all except you, of course. You just wouldn’t cooperate. But that’s how I found you, so I guess it’s a mixed blessing.” His smile turned smug. “Father is
very
interested in exploring your gift.”

“Good to know.” Audrey jumped to the side as Cal wrapped his hands around Peter’s neck.

Cal let his electrons surge. Energy bounced back at him. Surprised, he increased the charge.

Something cold touched his hand and he saw red, then felt the equivalent of being slammed face-first into a brick wall. His body went numb and he felt heavy, unable to move, barely able to breathe. Over the guy’s shoulder, he saw Audrey run toward them. Energy cracked from his body, a furious burst of fear. God, if the weapon did this to him, what would it do to her?

Her body spun faster than he could follow. The toe of her shoe brushed his cheek and he heard a solid thunk. For a split second, she stood balanced on one leg. Then she lowered her foot to the floor and they began to fall.

“Jesus Christ,” he heard her say.

Cal landed on top. He focused on pulling air into his lungs.

“Don’t touch me,” he whispered, when he had air enough to speak. He gathered electrons in his core and sent them spinning into his deadened limbs. After a second, he could roll over. He stared up at her. “That was some kick. Remind me not to piss you off.”

Cal looked at the man sprawled next to him, then pushed up on one arm, slowly getting his knees under his body. He felt like he was swimming through cement. Gingerly, he tugged the silver weapon out of the guy’s hand and examined it.

The smooth cylinder of gleaming metal fit naturally in his hand. He felt queasy, as if the thing hurt him merely by existing. He looked for a safety, but couldn’t find it and had to hope for the best as he shoved it into his jacket pocket. “Did you break his neck?” he asked.

“I don’t think so.”

He placed his fingers on the guy’s carotid and felt a pulse. “Not dead.”

“Then I wish I’d kicked him harder. Are you okay?” she asked, when he finally made it to his feet.

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.” They both looked down at the guy. “So who is he?”

“My boss. Peter Woodrow. The director of cytogenetics.”

He sent more energy into his extremities, since it seemed to be chasing away the heaviness. “Does he have an office?” Audrey pointed at the open door in the hall. “Get Jake, okay?” He could barely stand—there was no way he could carry Woodrow. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and left the room.

The guy was still out cold when Audrey returned with her brother. “Did you fill him in?” Cal asked.

She nodded.

Jake easily lifted the guy into a shoulder carry. They followed her down the hall into the only office he hadn’t explored. Damn, he wished he’d started with that one. Jake lowered Woodrow into the chair behind the desk and slapped his cheeks until he began to twitch and blink.

Jake bent to look into his eyes. “You fell asleep in your office. You did not see Audrey Fallon today. You won’t remember anything that happened after dark. Go back to sleep.” Woodrow shut his eyes.

“That was easy,” Jake said. They both glared at him. “What?” he asked. Then Jake pointed at the desk. “Is that your laptop?”

“Oh my God, it is.” Audrey unzipped her backpack and shoved the computer inside.

Cal followed them into the hall and shut the office door. “What are the guards doing?” he asked.

“Playing Angry Birds on their phones. I couldn’t imagine what was taking you guys so long. I erased the recording of our entry, but I was thinking a small power surge might be helpful. On the way out?”

“Sure,” Cal said.

“Neutral is such a lame power,” Audrey muttered, leading the way out of the lab.

Audrey got out of the car and handed Jake her keys. An eyebrow rose above his shades. “You’re not coming with me?”

“Your bachelor pad can’t compete with this, especially when my new lab equipment arrives.” She’d dictated a list on the drive from Genecorp and Cal had already gone into the house to call his purveyor, even though it was midnight.

She felt safe here, with Cal and his alarms, but what about Jake? “What if they come after you now?”

“I can take care of myself.” He tapped his dark glasses with one thick finger.

“Not if somebody hits you on the back of the head or blasts you with one of those silver stun guns,” she argued.

He shrugged. “I’ve got a hard head and a thick hide. I’ll be careful.”

She laid a hand on his arm. “Are you going home?”

“Eventually.”

Which meant he was going to the Lair first, probably to pick up some company. She rolled her eyes. “Pervert.”

“Glass house, sis. You’re shacked up with the Lair’s edgiest Dom. I should be telling you to be careful.”

She cocked her head. “Why aren’t you?”

“Be careful.” He leaned up to kiss her cheek.

“Smartass. Call me tomorrow.” She went into the house and followed the sound of Cal’s voice until she found him in the den behind the kitchen. She dropped down next to him on the leather couch, suddenly exhausted. It sounded like he’d made it about halfway through her list. Her eyes slid shut as she listened to his conversation, filled with pauses as whoever was on the other side of the line searched for items.

“Wake up, sleepyhead.” Something stroked her arm and she sighed, settling deeper into her warm cocoon. She opened her eyes and realized she was stretched out on the couch, covered by a blanket.

“You can sleep there if you want,” Cal offered.

No, she wanted to sleep with him. She sat up and struggled to fold the blanket.

“Leave it.” He clicked off the light.

She dropped the blanket on the couch and followed him out of the room. Instead of turning right, toward his bedroom, he led her upstairs. Disappointment made her miss a step. He paused, waiting for her to regain her footing. Of course he wouldn’t sleep with her. He wouldn’t even kiss her. What had she been thinking?

At his gesture, she preceded him into a guest bedroom and waited for him to leave, longing to be alone, buried under the covers with her humiliation.

“I wish I could stay,” he said softly.

Was he a mind reader now? She tried to give him a smile, but her lips trembled. Good God, she was
not
going to cry. She cleared her throat. “It’s fine. I’ll see you in the morning.”