Redemption (Bennett Sisters Book 5) (15 page)

Lydia
walked into her room and pulled out a backpack from the things she’d purchased in town. She’d only purchased it, if the need to escape had suddenly overwhelmed her, but it looks like she’d need it now. She changed into some black jeans, pulled a green top from her closet, and changed before she returned for her coffee. She’d take the damn thing with her if need be.

Briggs pushed her door open and closed it behind him. “This isn’t smart.”

Lydia
studied the silent giant. “No, smart would have been to leave fifteen minutes ago.”

Lydia
pulled the thermos from the cabinet and started to fill it. “What do you want, Briggs? Can’t you see I’m trying to get my stuff ready.”

Briggs placed his palm on her shoulder. “I’m not the bad guy,
Lydia
. I’m here to help you.”

Lydia
paused in pouring the coffee and turned toward Briggs. “You are?”

Briggs chuckled. “Well, of course I am. I may not be an official Bennett, but all of them…including you, are like family to me. I wouldn’t let you do this alone.”

Lydia
glanced down at her watch. “Time’s ticking. I’ll be ready to leave in five minutes.”

Briggs moved to sit in her recliner. “Wake me when you’re ready. If you’re anything like your sisters, five minutes is more like twenty in Bennett time.”

Chapter 16

Lydia
felt her lips tilt up in a grin as she resumed pouring the coffee into her thermos. Briggs had surprised her. She was definitely going to need his help since she was running off halfcocked to go take on Floyd or whoever stood in her way of getting to Rick. And besides, he had a better sense of direction. Even though her decision had been made, finding the damn buildings might be difficult.

Lydia
glanced over her shoulder. “You think we’ll be able to find the warehouses?”

Briggs shrugged. “I’ll find them.”

He pulled the two printouts out of his shirt pocket and waved them at her. “I can find any place that has an address and I’m pretty sure you could too.”

Lydia
picked up her bag, and Briggs stood “You think anyone is going to try and stop us?”

Briggs shook his head. “Not after what you did to the security system. Just watch out for any doctors in white lab coats aiming needles at you. I think they’ll all stay clear, but just in case…” He shrugged. “Be prepared to toss them around like rag dolls.”

“Ready?”
Lydia
asked Briggs as she pulled the door open and stopped short. The three people she’d recently thought of as friends stood on the other side of her threshold. Brody, Jamie and Marlaina blocked her exit. They were probably here to try and talk her out of leaving. “You can’t change my mind.”

Lydia
pushed through the blockade and stormed down the hall.

“Wait up, Red. We weren’t going to try and stop you. We’re going with you.”

Lydia
spun on her heel and faced Brody. “Why would you disobey a direct order from the general?”

“We didn’t.”

Lydia
was confused. He’d told them not to go. She’d heard it with her own ears. “I don’t follow. How is it you aren’t disobeying him, but you’re coming with us?”

“If you wouldn’t have stomped off, you would have heard what else he had to say. All he wanted to do was pull up the satellite images and see which one had heat signatures,” Brody said.

Lydia
could feel her eyes widen. Okay, so maybe she shouldn’t have accused the general of being a monster. She was just worried about Rick. No one could have faulted her for that.
Lydia
’s heart raced with renewed anticipation. “Well, which one was it?”

Brody glanced down at his feet. “They both did.”

Lydia
’s anticipation fizzled like air leaving a balloon. She lifted her chin. “No matter, we can check both of them if we have to.”

She turned, making her way toward the command room. Brody caught up beside her. “You didn’t let me finish. You know… you have a bad habit of that?”

Lydia
lifted a brow but kept walking.

“That’s why the general has assembled two teams, one to raid each of the warehouses. Jaime, Marlaina, and I have been assigned to go with you.”

Lydia
paused again. “Really? What about catching Floyd? I thought that was his top priority. What changed?”

“You don’t know the general at all. He really is a good man. He wants to see Rick make it back safely and will do everything in his power to make that happen. It’s just… this is as close as we’ve ever come to pinpointing Floyd, the little prick.”

Lydia
resumed her trek down the hall.

“Don’t get me wrong, we will catch him, if not today then another day, and we’ll all do it together,” Brody explained as he walked beside her.

The atmosphere in the command post was hopping. People were scurrying around and clacking away at keyboards. Not one person tried to stop them as
Lydia
had feared.

She pushed through the big metal door and breathed in a whiff of fresh air. Night had fallen, just like she’d thought. It would help with their cover. Two groups stood around the caravan of Humvees, the general in the middle of the pack. His pep talk ceased when he spotted
Lydia
. The general motioned them over.

“
Lydia
, you are going with Team Alpha.” He handed her a small com to put in her ear. “You’ll be able to communicate through this.”

Four muscled warriors moved to stand next to her and Briggs, and she had to wonder how it was they could be stealthy with their bulging muscles.

“I’m going with the Beta team, and I’ll be in direct contact with Brody, so stick close to him.”

Lydia
nodded and looked at the twin.

“Floyd wants you, so he won’t hurt you, but try not to get captured. We have intel that he has his own gifts, and we have no idea what they consist of. Just stay sharp and try not to use all of your energy at once. Let Brody do the heavy lifting just in case you need to protect yourself,” the general ordered. His strong stern voice commanded authority and resonated enough for both teams to hear.

A shiver traveled down
Lydia
’s spine. She’d been high on caffeine when she’d announced she was going. Now that it was getting closer and more real to her, she wasn’t about to back out, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried. There were more lives on the line than just hers now. Nevertheless, she was going, but the burden of everyone’s welfare hit her. She was no longer worried about just herself and Rick, but the additional people that were going to follow her into the fight.

Raindrops landed on her arm. She looked up at the sky wondering if this was a sign of things to come. Thunder sounded in the distance as each team got into their vehicles. Apprehension assaulted
Lydia
’s midsection. The rest of the men talked as if they did these types of missions every day.  Jaime and Marlaina were each texting on their phones, without a care in the world.
Lydia
silently wondered if she’d ever get used to it.

She shook her head. “No way.”

The rain came down harder as she concentrated on the barely visible outline of trees that lined the road as they drove farther from camp. They were in the middle of nowhere. Why anyone would want a warehouse out in the boondocks didn’t make sense; unless you were a psychopath that collected others’ gifts.
Lydia
tried to remember their route, in the event she needed to make a run for it.

Briggs sat beside her, his eyes trained on the passing greenery. He would know how to get back if they were caught in a jam. He remained quiet until the vehicles pulled to a stop. He pushed open the door and stepped out. He held a hand to
Lydia
, and she slid across the seat. “Stick with me and Brody. Don’t leave my side.” Briggs grinned. “Unless I’m losing, then stick with Brody.”

Lydia
lifted her hand to her stomach to squelch her nerves. She grabbed her coffee thermos and threw the strap over her head and across her body. There wasn’t going to be a chance of her losing it in this forest. It was her lifeline, the only thing she possessed that would give her enough energy to get to Rick and get him out.

****

Rain pelted the large window Benjamin Floyd stared through. It was a far cry from the pacing he’d been doing only ten minutes earlier. He knew the redhead was on her way. He could feel the extra energy in the air as it sizzled and zipped through the forest, crackling against the windowpane.

Floyd closed his eyes and envisioned the military combatants that would be arriving in less than thirty minutes. His advanced senses were the only reason he’d been able to stay ahead of the general who was out to have his head on a platter. No, he wouldn’t be caught, not this time. Floyd didn’t need an informant like Jimmy had. He trusted the information he garnered from the blond slut. Oh, Floyd knew better than to completely discount her usefulness just yet. Having an inside look at the men after him had helped in sustaining his freedom, freedom that he wouldn’t be losing today.

A knock on his door had him turning in place. Jimmy’s large frame blocked the excitement of the men under Floyd’s command. They enjoyed when he brought in new guests, each silently hoping they’d be the recipient in order to test the new powers that were offered. They had no clue what was coming for them and would be arriving in less than an hour. And being the sick bastard he was, he wasn’t about to inform them. They each needed to earn their place under his command. If it happened to be with their lives, so be it. He wanted only the strong to survive. He wanted the rescue team to find Agent Thompson. No…he needed them to rescue the field agent. His plans wouldn’t be complete otherwise.

The serum he’d pushed into Thompson’s veins had been threaded with just the right juices to make this all worthwhile. He wouldn’t lose another man to the failed test. No, he’d be able to study the results from a distance to see if the tests would fail again and kill its host from the inside out. Several trials had been done prior to this one, and Floyd had one last hope for its success.

“Sir, I just got a text. They are on their way, and it appears the redhead will be here soon.”

Floyd rubbed the stubble on his unshaved face, contemplating his choices. “Get the car ready,” he demanded.

“Sir?” Jimmy’s questioning voice cracked. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Isn’t she the one you’re after?”

Floyd stormed toward his subordinate, right up into the face of the man that had served him well. No matter how well he’d served in the past, he should have known by now not to do something so stupid. “Do you dare question me!”

Jimmy blinked his eyes hard and fast. The bobble of his Adam’s apple had been expected, but it was his next words that enraged Floyd. “But, sir…”

Floyd reached out, grabbed Jimmy’s arm, and squeezed. Floyd knew the power he possessed thanks to previous captives. He’d taken their blood and injected it into his own vein. The same thing he’d eventually take from the redhead, even if it wasn’t today. He would drain her dry just like the rest and leave nothing but a shell of her body no one would never find.

Floyd increased his hold, his vision turning red just like he’d seen it happen in the past. Floyd continued to squeeze the big man’s arm, and Jimmy eyes grew wide. The scent of fear lingered in the air. The pop of a bone and Jimmy falling to his knees were the only things that lessened Floyd’s rage to a more manageable state. “Now get up and do as you’re told.”

Floyd watched as Jimmy staggered to stand, his palm cupping the broken bones in his left arm. “And don’t make me tell you again.”

Jimmy lowered his gaze. “Yes, sir. The car will be ready in five minutes.”

Floyd narrowed his eyes. “Make it two.”

Floyd took a step closer to Jimmy and watched as the broken man backed away. “You know I did that for your own good. Next time you’ll think twice when I give you an order. It might just keep you alive.”

Floyd lifted his palm toward Jimmy’s broken arm, the move making Jimmy flinch, but surprisingly he stood his ground. Floyd had hope for him yet. He placed his hand over the damage he’d just created. A heat radiated inside of him, extended through his chest and down his arms into his hands, and emanated from his palm, searing whatever it touched. The growing heat fixed what he’d broken, even if it was just bones and not Jimmy’s soul.

Chapter 17

Lydia
glanced at the men that surrounded her. She was thankful for Briggs’ experience and Brody’s gift. They slowly trekked through the forest and through mud puddles as they made their way through the same forest that she’d seen in her vision. She was relieved they’d been assigned the warehouse where she believed Rick was being held, but unease still managed to eat at her.
Lydia
rubbed her hands on her soaked jeans, more from nerves than anything else. She had no idea how this was going to end; she’d woken from her dream before she’d seen the finale.