Project Terminal: End Game (7 page)
Read Project Terminal: End Game Online
Authors: Olivia Starke
“I was afraid I’d lost you, darlin’.” He stroked a hand over her back.
She tensed in his arms, but he wouldn’t let her go. Not now, when he’d realized the enormity of his feelings for her. He was in love with Amelia.
“Take more than this to kill me.” She shoved back, but he held firm.
He chuckled. “You’re right about that.” Unable to resist he dropped a kiss to her mouth.
“What did you mean when you said you cared about me?” she asked when he pulled back.
He took a deep breath, readying himself for the coming consequences. “I mean I think I’m in love with you, Amelia St. James. Have been for a while, since we were in the project.”
She blinked, her lips parting. “Seriously?”
“What about you, am I some passing fancy? Once we return to civilization will you go on your solitary way?”
A frown crossed her face, and she wouldn’t meet his eyes. He held his breath, fearing the coming answer.
“Honestly?”
His stomach dropped. “Of course.”
She nibbled her bottom lip and stared past him at the fire. “I don’t know how to fit someone else into my life, Gabe.”
He finally released her and stepped back, rubbing a hand over his jaw, feeling like an ass.
“Look who I found.”
Reed’s voice made Gabe start. They looked up to see Reed walking toward them, a sick looking man in front, Reed’s rifle jammed into his back.
“Carlton.” Amelia glared at the man and Gabe placed a hand on her arm, fearing she may go for his throat.
“I got bit, you have to help me,” Carlton pleaded. Gabe noted the tourniquet on the man’s thigh and another around his bicep. He looked half-dead already.
“You think you deserve help after sending those undead after us?” Amelia snapped.
“I had no part in that.” Carlton staggered forward, nearly falling.
“Let’s get him in the car and get the hell out of here.” Reed poked Carlton with the rifle, forcing him forward.
“Sounds like a plan,” Gabe agreed, ready to distance himself from Amelia. She’d affectively just broken his heart.
* * * *
Doc glared, her fists balled at her sides. “What the hell do you mean you sent a hoard after them? After I told you not to, how dare you disobey me. I wanted my sister alive.”
General held on to his temper. God, how he hated the woman. Working with her had been pure hell, but that was about to change. He strode up to her until they were nearly nose to nose.
“I don’t take orders from you anymore, you bitch. I have what I need, and I’m going to sell it to the highest bidder.”
“W-what?” she stammered, her eyes widening.
“I’m putting R1LN on the market.”
Her white teeth flashed in a snarl. “Like fuck you are, it’s not yours to sell, General.”
He lifted a shoulder. “The way I see it, I can take anything I like. Who’s going to stop me?”
“I’ll stop you.” She jabbed a finger in his chest. “You won’t take something I’ve worked years on.”
He grinned. “Is that so?”
He pulled out the syringe he had stashed in his pocket and jabbed her in the upper arm, pushing down the plunger. She gasped and jumped sideways.
“What the fuck did you just do?”
“It’s the virus.” Relief washed through General, happy he’d finally be rid of the scientist for good. He dropped the needle to the floor.
Her mouth worked for several moments. “How dare you.”
“See you around, Doc.” He saluted. “Well, probably not.” He turned to leave the lab.
“Wait,” she said.
He looked over his shoulder.
“My sister? What happened to Max?”
“Don’t know, don’t care.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, whistling as he walked to the door. He opened it, and his heart stalled.
“General, good to see you and Doc here together. Makes our job easier.”
General balled his hands into fists, facing off with the super soldier standing outside the laboratory. “Gonsalves, how the fuck did you find us?”
Preacher stepped into view, his rifle in hand. “Carlton. He got infected and sang like a bird to get the cure.” Gonsalves held up a couple of zip ties used for handcuffs. “We’ll be taking you into custody, now turn around. If you’re lucky, the two of you won’t be tried for treason. Not that I’d object to it.”
Chapter 12
Amelia stretched out her legs, crossing her feet on the top of her coffee table. The news droned on in the background.
“And the CDC is asking everyone with these symptoms to report to an emergency control center immediately. This new strain of swine flu is dangerous, and can be deadly to those with lowered immunities. The government is making it mandatory for anyone who believes they are infected to come in for treatment.”
“Swine flu? I wonder if that was Max’s idea.” Amelia snorted and clicked off the television.
She glanced at the wall clock, her nerves twisting a tight ball in her stomach. The call had been the hardest one she’d ever made, but a necessary one. Her gritty eyes were a testament to lost sleep beyond what her body could handle.
Maybe he won’t show?
Doubts clouded her mind until she massaged her temples, a headache pounding beneath her fingertips. Morris had told her that he loved her, and she had turned her back on him.
A knock sounded on the door and she jumped, her heart rate skyrocketing. She rubbed her clammy palms against her jeans and went to answer the door. Morris’s blue gaze met hers.
“Hi, Amelia.”
“Hi.”
He rocked back on his heels. Dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, he looked casual. And calm…unlike her.
“Can I come in or…”
She blinked. “Yes, sorry.” She waved him inside. “Have a seat anywhere you like.”
He walked over to her couch and sat down, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees. She sat opposite him in a recliner.
“Have you heard the news recently?” she asked, tucking her hands between her knees so he wouldn’t see them tremble.
“About the new strain of swine flu?” Morris chuckled. “What else could they say? A zombie virus?”
“True, true.” She couldn’t quite meet his penetrating gaze.
“Well, I just got off the phone with Reed,” he said. “They’ve tracked down both Doc and General.”
“Good.”
Silence stretched between them.
“Amelia?”
She dared to look up.
“Why did you call me over?”
The million dollar question.
She took a deep breath. “I needed to tell you…” She licked her lips. “I mean, when you told me you loved me I was blindsided.”
His foot bounced up and down. “I didn’t mean to upset you, but I wanted you to know the truth.”
She clasped her hands in her lap, staring at her laced fingers. “I love you too,” she blurted before the words failed her. Morris remained quiet, and she looked up, finding a mix of hope and disbelief in his gaze. “And I don’t know what that means for us. I don’t know how we can combine worlds.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “You’re making it more complicated than it has to be, darlin’.” He reached out and took her hand, his fingers warm as they wrapped around hers. Electricity sizzled at his touch. “Let’s worry about today, and only today.”
He moved to his knees before her, reaching up to cup her face. His thumb brushed over her mouth and he pulled her forward. The kiss unfurled desire she’d spent days repressing. She kissed him back with all the wonderful feelings swelling within her heart. All the love she’d denied for the other super soldier since leaving Project Terminal.
“Say it again, Amelia. One more time,” he whispered against her lips.
“I love you, Gabe. Now let’s go to bed.”
“Whatever you want, darlin’. I’m yours, wholly and completely.”
About Olivia Starke
Olivia Starke calls the Ozarks home. One of the most beautiful areas in the country, she loves hiking trails with her dogs, kayaking on the numerous waterways, and enjoying southern Missouri’s fresh air and sunshine.
She’s also ‘Mom’ to four dogs, a growing number of kitties that show up at her door, and four VERY spoiled horses that do little to earn their keep. Not that she’d ever hold that against them.
She’s a HUGE fangirl of
Doctor Who
and to a lesser extent
Supernatural
, and has a pretty interesting love triangle (or square?) going on in her head between the Doctor and the Winchesters.
Olivia’s Website:
www.authoroliviastarke.com
Reader eMail:
About the Project Terminal Series
Book 1:
Project Terminal: Legacy
Now Available
Book 2:
Project Terminal: Devil’s Virus
Now Available
Book 3:
Project Terminal: End Game
Now Available
Table of Contents