Redemption (Bennett Sisters Book 5) (20 page)

Her vision blurred from the use of her power and what Marlaina had done to her, and she passed out.

****

Having Marlaina wear a wire had been a stroke of genius on his part. Jimmy adjusted the earphones to make them more comfortable. If he had his way, Marlaina would have left the compound, but he guessed she had a point. She would be able to keep him informed of what was going on. She’d texted him and told him she was going after
Lydia
. She’d said that she was going to disarm the redhead, that
Lydia
wouldn’t even see her as a threat.

Jimmy turned up the volume and listened as Marlaina taunted
Lydia
. Whatever she was doing with her mind thing seemed to be working because Marlaina sounded smug. Jimmy adjusted his jeans as he listened to Marlaina’s voice. The sweet, evil tang of her villainy shone through and made him hard. He couldn’t wait to have her again. The little wench couldn’t get enough of him. His heart sped up at the thought. Another fifteen minutes and he was going to leave to meet up with Marlaina. She was going to be leaving the compound for good. She’d agreed to come with him, to start a new life. The only way Floyd wouldn’t miss him was if he had another playmate to keep him occupied, and giving him
Lydia
to keep him busy was the only thing Jimmy could think of.  

Jimmy listened as Marlaina said, “Is that all you’ve got?”

A shot rang through the receiver before it made a loud screeching noise, and then there was nothing but static. “Shit.”

Jimmy snatched the headset off and threw it across the room. He reached for his phone and texted Marlaina. That was the only other way they had to communicate. She didn’t reply. He tried again; his fingers shook as he tried to type the message. If anything had happened to her, he was going to kill the redhead himself. Screw Floyd. No reply. He threw the phone against the wall and watched as it shattered into a million pieces.

Jimmy ran his hand through his hair before he cupped his face. His hatred was like a living thing. Marlaina had told him everything before she left to find
Lydia
. Jimmy laid his head back against the chair and closed his eyes, trying to envision his revenge against
Lydia
. His heart felt empty; his reason for living had been torn from his grasp. Marlaina had been his light. She was going to save him from the hellhole of a life he’d found himself in. He’d been planning on spending every last minute of his life devoted to her. Jimmy’s eyes flew open. “That bitch is mine.”

Chapter 21

Rick walked side by side with Brody as they made their way to the general’s office. He’d come to trust the man since that fateful accident. He’d had no idea at the time that this one trip would change his life. Rick lowered his gaze. He still hadn’t come clean with
Lydia
about why he’d really tagged along. Things had changed since he’d agreed to this mission.

There was no way he would have given up any of the Bennetts, but when he started digging into Lydia’s past for Mike while trying to catch the notorious drug king, Winters, it had raised enough red flags that Rick had to find answers.

Brody knocked his shoulder. “Dude, you look like you’ve got something heavy on your mind.”

Rick glanced at Brody. “I know you and I might have started off on a bad foot but things have changed and I need you to make me a promise.”

Brody’s lips turned up at the corners. “I’ll love and cherish her forever.”

Rick felt the smirk on his lips. “Smart ass.”

They both stopped before they entered the control room. Brody cleared his throat. “Okay, spill. What could possibly be important enough that you would grovel to ask a favor from me?”

Rick glanced down at his feet. He would never ask another man to take care of what he considered his, but the more he thought about
Lydia
and what she needed, he knew he had to come clean with her about everything. There was a chance that she was going to hate him, despise him even. He couldn’t expect her to trust him again, but she needed to know if they were going to have a chance at more of a relationship.

Rick raised his gaze. “There might come a time when
Lydia
decides she doesn’t want anything to do with me. It’s possible that she won’t even be talking to me.”

Brody raised his brow. “What did you do?”

Rick cleared his throat. “Nothing yet, just trust me. If that time ever comes, I need to know that you’re going to be there for her. Don’t let her disappear or do anything stupid, no matter how angry she gets.”

Brody crossed his arms over his chest. “What could you have possibly done to piss her off that bad?”

Rick was saved from having to explain. The sound of a single gunshot rang through the hall, and the lights flickered three times before they went out. The emergency lights above their head clicked on. Rick and Brody exchanged a look before they both exclaimed at the same time. “
Lydia
.”

They both ran as fast as they could down the hall, crashing into the door and knocking it off the hinges. What he found scared the shit out of him, more than when he’d been stuck with an unknown drug. Marlaina lay bleeding and shot in the stomach, and
Lydia
was passed out with the gun clutched in her hand. “What the hell happened! We’ve been gone five minutes.”

Brody hurried to Marlaina and checked for her pulse. He pulled his phone from the clip and started talking. Rick wasn’t paying attention to any of the conversation. He rushed to
Lydia
’s side and lifted a finger to her neck. He breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god she was still alive. He took the gun from her hand and stuffed it in the waist of his jeans then scooped her up in his arms, moving swiftly to the couch where he laid her down. He placed a kiss to her lips and whispered, “Rest easy. I’ve got you, honey.”

He walked to Brody. “Is she…”

Brody nodded with the phone held against his ear. He covered the speaker. “Is she…”

Rick shook his head. “I think she’s going to be okay. Did you call Jaime?”

The air in the room was thick. The aroma from the crimson blood covering the floor was overwhelming.

Brody shook his head. “I’m going to call Jamie. Take
Lydia
to your room and don’t let anyone in until we get this straightened out. Try and give her some coffee.”

Rick scooped her up and hurried from her room to his. He shut the door behind him and gently laid her down on his couch. He pulled the comforter off the bed and used it to cover her. He locked the door and pulled the stashed coffee pot from the cupboard. He’d hidden it in an attempt to spend more time with her, but he needed it now more than keeping his secret. He hoped beyond anything that it was going to do the trick.

He’d hit the button on the coffee maker when a pounding began on his door. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at the door.

“Thompson, let us in,” Briggs shouted with a strain in his voice. “I know she’s in there.”

Rick didn’t make a move to lower his gun. “Who is
us
?” he hollered back.

“Briggs and Jaime. You have to the count of five, and then I’m kicking the damn door down.”

Rick put the gun on the counter and pulled the door open before Briggs had even begun to count.

Briggs pushed past him and headed straight for
Lydia
. He checked her pulse and pulled the cover back to access her body. When he was satisfied, he pulled the covers back over her. “You want to tell me what the hell happened?”

Jaime ignored them both and went to
Lydia
. She pushed the covers back, rubbed her hands then held them palms down over
Lydia
’s unmoving body. Jaime closed her eyes and moved her hands from
Lydia
’s head to her feet, making several passes and stopping above her head. “She had a mental attack.”

Briggs and Rick shared a knowing look and responded at the same time. “Marlaina.”

Jamie kept her eyes closed and her hands hovering.

Rick poured two cups of coffee and waited until Jamie opened her eyes. “She needs rest. Give her some coffee when she wakes up.”

Jamie walked to the refrigerator and opened it, pulling out a bottle of water. She downed the contents and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Anyone care to clue me in on what is going on?”

Briggs turned to Rick. “Why don’t you clue us both in on what the hell happened.”

Rick pulled out a chair at the small dining table. “I was in her room not even five minutes ago. Brody knocked on the door saying that the general needed to talk to me. We left, and before we made it to the end of the hall, we heard a gunshot.”

Briggs crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “
Lydia
doesn’t own a gun.”

Rick ran his fingers through his hair. “I
gave it to her before I was abducted by Floyd. It was j
ust
as a precaution
to protect herself whenever she couldn’t use
her
telekinesis.
”
Rick looked down at his coffee before he met their gaze. “
I haven’t even had a chance to show her how to use it.
”
He cleared his throat. “I’m glad I did, she needs it now more than ever.”

Jamie placed her hands on her hips. “Why? You’re leaving something out.”

Rick placed his elbows on the table and let his head drop in his hands. “
B
ecause of me. I found out today that I can drain the energy around me. I wasn’t sure what it would
do to her.”

Briggs patted Rick on the back. “It’s a good thing you did.”

Jamie pulled out a chair and joined him at the table. “Does this have to do with the injection?”

Rick explained everything that he knew while the other two listened. Neither one spoke while he explained what had happened when he trained with Brody. Rick looked at Briggs. “You know how I said there was a mole?”

Briggs nodded.

“I think it was Marlaina. I’m not sure what happened, but when we showed up in Lydia’s room, Lydia
was out
cold, clutching the gun in her hand, and Marlaina was dead.” Rick looked over at
Lydia
. “
Lydia
’s the only one that can tell us what happened.”

He’d almost lost her all over again. He should have never gone with Brody. This place wasn’t safe; Southall wasn’t safe. He didn’t know where to take her so she could escape Floyd’s attacks. A knock sounded on his door and pulled him from his thoughts. Briggs pulled out his gun and Rick grabbed his from the counter each taking aim at the door. Rick called out, “Who is it?”

“General Lister,” the gruff voice replied. Neither Briggs nor Rick put their guns away as Rick moved to pull the door open. “How is she?”

Rick moved back and let the general enter. He closed and locked the door behind him and turned to find the general kneeling down next to
Lydia
. He’d placed his hand on her head. “Is she okay?” The general looked over at Jaime. “Did you try and heal her?”

Jaime walked over to them. She knelt down beside the general. “My gift doesn’t work on her like it does everyone else.” She shook her head and lifted her hands to look at her palms. “For some reason, it has less of an effect.” She let her hands drop and turned her head to look at the general. “I did what I could. I think the only thing we can do is wait for her to wake up and give her some coffee.”

The general straightened and glanced at Rick and Briggs. “Marlaina was the mole. I’ve had Jonah looking into her text messages and phone bill. She started sending messages to the same number the day that
Lydia
arrived. We believe she’s been feeding information to Floyd or one of his people the entire time. I’ve got Jonah tracing the numbers.”

Rick moved to stand beside
Lydia
. “General, if they had a mole inside, isn’t it safe to assume that they know where we are? How safe is
Lydia
going to be if she stays here?”

Briggs and Jamie moved to stand beside him.

The general turned around and assessed the three of them. “We need to plan for the worse. We can only hope that he’ll try to get to her inside the compound walls where we’ll all be waiting.” The general nodded at Rick. “You’ll have two guards posted outside of your door until further notice.” He glanced down at
Lydia
before he lifted his hard gaze back to Rick. “I expect all of you in the conference room at oh-eight-hundred.”

“I’m not leaving her alone,” Rick said.

The general nodded. “She’ll be coming with you.”

He spun on his heel and left, pulling the door behind him. Brody never showed back up at his door like Rick expected. He had a hell of a time getting Jaime and Briggs to leave for the night. Briggs offered to sleep on Rick’s couch and for a minute Rick contemplated his answer. He ended up telling the giant to go back to his own room. As promised, the general had sent two men to stand guard outside. Each had weapons strapped to their bodies. Rick closed and locked the door behind Briggs. He picked
Lydia
up and carried her to his bed. He replaced her jeans and shirt with one of his large T-shirts and laid the covers over her. He walked out into the kitchen and picked up the revolver. Back in his room, he changed and climbed into the bed, shoving
Lydia
’s revolver in the bedside table and his Glock beneath his pillow.  It didn’t matter that there were men stationed outside his door. He would be prepared just the same.