Ice/Reaux (Bayou Heat Boxset #10) Read online

  Karen tried to tell herself she should be pleased that her son had clearly not been mistreated. In fact, it appeared he’d been given a position of authority in the corporation. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop her from wanting to put a bullet through Christopher’s black heart.

  “Is it true?” he abruptly demanded.

  She frowned. “That you’re my son?”

  He gave an impatient shake of his head. “That you were held against your will.”

  Karen held his accusing gaze, sensing that deep down he’d always suspected he wasn’t being told the entire truth.

  “I have proof,” she assured him, slowly pulling up the sleeves of her sweater to reveal the thick scars that marred her wrists. “These are from the handcuffs they kept on me even after the skin was rubbed so raw my wounds became infected.” She pushed aside her hair to point toward the raised flesh on the side of her neck. “This is the brand they put on me so the doctors would know I was a breeder.” She shivered, still able to remember the searing pain. Then, she tugged at her neckline to reveal the ugly round spot in the center of her chest. “This is the mark from the cigarette the guard seared into my flesh because he didn’t like how I was looking at him.”

  Ward’s face drained to a shade of ash as he lifted his hand. “Enough,” he croaked.

  Karen caught a brief glimpse of pain in his eyes and had to blink back a fresh batch of tears. The thought that she’d been hurt bothered him. Which meant he had to care. Right? Even if he’d been told lie after lie, he still thought of her as his mother.

  “I would never have left you.” Her hand again lifted, compulsively touching his face. She had to reassure herself that he was real. “You were snatched from my arms and I’ve spent years trying to find you.”

  Confusion darkened his eyes. “Why would he lie to me?”

  She cupped his cheek, joy racing through her. After all the years of longing, she was at last touching her son. It was…glorious.

  “We can find the answer together, Ward,” she assured him, glancing toward the door of the cell that he’d left open. Obviously he’d been worried when she’d fainted and hadn’t bothered to lock it. “But first we need to get out of here.”

  He took a sharp step backward, his brows snapping together. “And go where? Back to the animals?”

  She swallowed the urge to point out that the ‘animals’ had acted far more humanely than the humans. Right now all that mattered was getting him away from the lab so they could talk without fear of interruption.

  “We can go anywhere you want. We can get Caleb from my cabin and we’ll—”

  “Someone’s coming.” Ward interrupted her fierce words, his nose flaring as he sniffed the air. Proof his senses were far more acute than hers. “Pantera.”

  Relief flared through her. They’d come for her. She hadn’t dared to hope that they would consider her important enough to risk a rescue mission.

  Then her relief was replaced by a jolt of fear as her son reached beneath his jacket to pull out a handgun.

  “No.” She grabbed his arms, her expression desperate. “They’re not your enemy, Ward. I swear.”

  ***

  Ice led Cammy down the narrow flight of stairs into the hidden labyrinth of rooms that were connected by long hallways lined with stainless steel. She was convinced that Karen was near. Unfortunately, there was no way to get to her without taking the main corridor.

  Moving in silence, they were both on full alert. Slowing as they reached a branch in the corridor, Ice waited for Cammy to point toward the right.

  “That way,” she whispered.

  About to head down the hallway, Ice reached around to lightly touch his companion’s arm. “Wait here,” he murmured. “I’ll be right back.”

  She frowned in confusion. “Where are you going?”

  “To have some fun.”

  Without giving her time to protest, he spun on his heel and retraced his steps to the staircase. He could smell the two humans approaching.

  Pressing his large body against the wall, he stood predator-still in the shadows of the steps. He didn’t bother to draw his gun. At close range, he could kill easier with his hands. And it was considerably quieter.

  After spending nearly a half hour bypassing the Pentagon-grade security surrounding the compound, the last thing he wanted was to alert anyone to their presence.

  Unaware of the danger, the two men entered the hallway. Ice allowed them to walk past him before he stepped from the shadows and grabbed them by the back of their necks. With a low grunt, he lifted them off the floor, ignoring the startled curses. Both men struggled to escape the punishing grip of his fingers, but using the narrow hallway to his advantage, Ice shoved out his arms and smashed their faces into the walls. Grunts of pain replaced their cursing, the dull thud of their skulls connecting with the stainless steel echoing through the hallway. Ice felt them go limp, but he continued to smack them against the wall until the pungent scent of blood filled the air.

  Only then did he drag their unconscious bodies into a janitorial closet and shut the door. Assuming the guards did a consistent route, they wouldn’t be missed for at least ten or fifteen minutes.

  In that time he and Cammy should be able to grab Karen and get the hell out of there.

  With a last glance to make sure he hadn’t missed any security cameras, Ice hurried back to Cammy who, with an arch of her brow, studied the blood that had dripped onto his boots.

  “Happy?”

  He allowed a smug smile to curve his lips. It hadn’t been entirely satisfying. After the bastards had directly attacked the Wildlands he was eager to punish their enemies. But at least he’d had the chance to bust a few heads.

  “It will have to do for now,” he murmured.

  She rolled her eyes, heading down the hallway. “Karen’s in the last room at the end.” She paused as they reached the door, sucking in a deep breath of air. “There’s one guard inside.”

  Anticipation raced through his body. “I’ll take care of him.”

  She grabbed his arm. “Hey, I should have some fun too.”

  He flashed a wicked grin. “I promise that when we have some time alone I’ll give you all the fun you can handle.”

  “Yeesh.” She glared at him, even as her lips twitched at his teasing. “We go in together,” she asserted.

  “Fine.” Ice’s amusement faded as he slid the gun from his holster. There would be no way to sneak up on this guard. “Cover me.”

  Cammy positioned herself at his side, pointing her weapon as he pushed open the door.

  Ice had a split second to study the tall, lean man with short reddish hair and eyes that glowed with power before Karen was abruptly darting in front of him.

  He scowled, unable to get a clear shot.

  “Karen, move,” he snapped, wondering if the woman had been drugged.

  “No, don’t shoot,” she pleaded.

  Ice felt Cammy lay a restraining hand on his arm. “What’s going on, Karen?” she demanded.

  “This is Ward,” she said in soft tones. “My son.”

  Ice studied the man’s lean face and green eyes. It was easy to see the family resemblance now that he was looking for it. “The one you’ve been searching for?” he demanded.

  “Yes.”

  Ward grasped his mother by her shoulders, tugging her to the side. His gaze flickered between Cammy and Ice. “Who are you?”

  It was Cammy who answered. “Friends of your mother.”

  The male snorted. “Pantera have never been friends to humans.”

  Ice tilted back his head, sniffing the air. He’d caught the hint of musk the moment he’d stepped into the room. “You’re as much an animal as I am,” he taunted.

  The younger male stiffened. “I might have Pantera blood, but I’m not a savage. We all know you’re determined to kill the hybrids.”

  Ice’s brows snapped together at the accusation. “Don’t be stupid. Why would we destroy our own people?”
r />   Karen turned toward her son, her hand settling lightly on his shoulder. “He’s telling you the truth, Ward. The Pantera have welcomed all people into their pack. Including humans.”

  He stepped away from her touch, his expression wary as he focused on Ice. Like most humans—or Pantera raised in the human world—he no doubt assumed Ice was the more lethal. The idiot clearly didn’t realize that Cammy could rip him apart with her bare hands.

  “How can I believe you?” Ward demanded.

  Ice ignored the question. He wasn’t without sympathy for Karen, but his duty was to rescue her and return home. It wasn’t to convince her son that they weren’t evil savages. Still, he hesitated.

  The male might have information. Beginning with whether or not Benson Enterprises was declaring open war on the Pantera, or if it’d been a mere ploy so Ward could get his hands on his mother.

  “Why did you come to the Wildlands?” he abruptly demanded.

  The male hesitated before giving a tilt of his chin. “I discovered my mother was there, along with my half-brother. I wanted to know why she’d left me.”

  “So you sent in a suicide bomber to destroy us?” he snapped.

  Karen made a sound of distress, her eyes darkening with genuine concern. “Oh my god. I thought I heard an explosion. Was anyone hurt?”

  Ice’s jaw tightened at the memory of the chaotic fear that’d been spread through his homeland. The Wildlands had always offered a sense of peace to his people, even when it was being destroyed by Shakpi. It was the one place they would always be safe.

  That’d been stolen from them by their enemies.

  “There were injuries, but no fatalities, thank the Goddess,” he said, his gaze locked on the young male. “Not that they didn’t intend to kill as many of us as possible.”

  Ward lifted a slender hand. “That wasn’t me.”

  Ice narrowed his gaze. “You had nothing to do with it?”

  The male hesitated, no doubt trying to decide if he wanted to tell the truth or not. At last he gave a lift of one shoulder.

  “I knew it was planned, so I took the opportunity to slip in and bring my mother here,” he admitted.

  Ice’s lips parted to demand why they’d been attacked, only to be interrupted by the sharp sound of an alarm ripping through the air.

  Shit. The guards had been missed.

  Karen paled. “What’s that?”

  “Trouble,” Ward muttered, holstering the gun he probably thought Ice hadn’t noticed before he was turning to head toward the back of the room. “Follow me. I can get you to the escape tunnels.”

  “Wait,” Ice commanded as Karen moved to join her son. “This could be a trap.”

  Ward sent him an impatient glare. “The alarm has sounded which means they know you’re here. The facility is on full lockdown,” he warned. “You’ll never get out unless you come with me.”

  Ice scowled. His acute hearing had picked up the sound of locks clicking in place. That didn’t make him any more trusting of Ward and his sudden eagerness to help them escape.

  “Fine.” He pointed his gun directly at the male’s head. “But remember this. I’m not your mother. I won’t hesitate to shoot you in the head if I sense you’re leading us into danger.”

  “Savage,” the male muttered, laying his palm on a small scanner set on the back wall. Silently a panel slid to the side, revealing a narrow corridor. “This way.”

  Allowing Ward to take the lead, Ice indicated for Karen to go next, and then Cammy, while he brought up the rear.

  ***

  Cammy didn’t miss Ice’s piercing gaze as she passed by him to enter the corridor. He intended to remain on alert for any danger. It was now her duty to take the lead on discovering what Ward knew about Benson Enterprises’ plans for the Pantera.

  Ice slid the panel shut behind them, wrapping them in darkness. Cammy instinctively stepped beside Karen to wrap an arm around her waist. The human woman didn’t possess the same night vision as a Pantera. Ward, however, moved with an ease that proved he was as much cat as he was human.

  “You said that you weren’t involved with the suicide bomber,” she said, her voice pitched low to keep from echoing through the long, empty space.

  “I wasn’t,” Ward muttered, his attention locked on the darkness in front of them as he moved forward at a swift pace. “I only used the distraction to enter the Wildlands.”

  Easy enough to claim. “Then what was the purpose of the bomber?”

  Ward paused, his body tensed as he abruptly turned to lead them into a side corridor. “He was trying to destroy the computers you stole.”

  Cammy frowned. Over the past few months they’d managed to track down a handful of Benson Enterprise labs. Xavier always insisted the Hunters bring back any intel that might help to discover more about the enemy before the Pantera torched the buildings. But none of the computers they’d confiscated had seemed worth such an extreme response.

  “Why?” she demanded.

  The male said nothing as they hurried down the hallway. At last Karen reached out blindly, brushing her hand over her son’s back.

  “Ward, we need to know,” she murmured in a soft voice.

  “There’s private research that they didn’t want falling into your hands,” he at last muttered, the words sounding as if they were being forced past his stiff lips.

  Clearly his loyalty was being divided between his employers and the woman who’d given him life.

  “What sort of research?” Cammy pressed.

  He shook his head, his shoulders hunched. “I can’t.”

  Again Karen reached out to touch Ward’s back. “Please. It’s important that the Pantera know how to protect themselves.”

  There was a long silence before Ward at last heaved a loud sigh. “Dammit.” His steps slowed as he glanced over his shoulder. “Christopher is creating a virus.”

  Cammy blinked in confusion. “A computer virus?”

  “No. A biological virus.”

  Stunned, Cammy struggled not to trip over her feet. She was a Hunter, not a Healer, but she knew enough to feel a tight knot of dread settle in the pit of her stomach.

  Obviously sharing her concern, Ice moved until he was at her side, filling the narrow hallway with the prickling heat of his power.

  “Why?” Ice growled.

  Ward was forced to halt as he reached a steel door that blocked the hallway. Reaching out, he pressed his hand against a glass panel set in the wall. “Christian realized after the Pantera discovered his connection to Benson Enterprises that he’s been put in a vulnerable position,” he said, his voice stripped of emotion. “He demanded that his scientists come up with a fail-safe in case things go south.”

  Cammy could feel the tension that clenched Ice’s body.

  “What’s the fail-safe?” she demanded.

  “A lethal disease that’s mutated to kill the Pantera,” Ward muttered.

  Dear Goddess. He was talking about a custom-designed pandemic meant to wipe out her entire species.

  What sort of monster would even contemplate such a horrendous crime?

  Sickness rolled through her, and Cammy instinctively reached to touch Ice’s arm. The last thing she wanted was to interfere in his ability to fight, but she desperately needed the comfort of his warm, strong presence.

  “Has he already created the virus?” Ice rasped.

  “I don’t know for sure, but the files were on the computer that was stolen from the lab in Bossier City,” Ward explained. “Christopher is desperate to make sure the Pantera don’t have access to the research.”

  The door slid open and Ward led them into what looked like a small storage room. The male stepped into the cramped space, waiting for the rest of them to squeeze inside before he turned to close the door. At the same time the deafening sound of gunshots splintered the air.

  Hissing in pain, Ward dropped to his knees, his hand pressed to his chest. Karen cried out, rushing forward before Cammy could stop her.r />
  Crouching down, she wrapped an arm around Ward’s shoulders as she tried to see through the darkness. “Have you been hit?”

  “I’m fine,” Ward hissed through gritted teeth. “Get back.”

  Cammy leaped forward at the same time as Ice, but before they could reach Karen there was another barrage of gunfire that sent them diving for the floor. Cammy crawled forward, her heart missing a beat as Karen fell to the side, a bloody gouge marring her right temple.

  Shit.

  With the last of his strength, Ward reached out to slam shut the door, bringing a temporary end to the flying bullets. Then, with a groan, he leaned against the wall, his shirt covered with blood.

  “There’s a tunnel behind the shelves. It leads beneath the fence,” he said, his voice husky with pain. “I’ll keep them from following as long as I can.”

  Ice rose to his feet. “The virus—”

  “I truly don’t know any more than I’ve told you,” Ward interrupted, his face bathed in sweat as he continued to bleed out at an alarming rate. He glanced toward the woman who was lying unconscious next to him. “Take my mother and keep her safe.” He pulled his gun from beneath his jacket, his face grim. None of them needed to be Healers to know that he wasn’t going to survive long enough for them to get him to a doctor. “Go.”

  Moving forward, Cammy grabbed Karen around the waist and tossed her over her shoulder before she was straightening. Ice hesitated, no doubt consumed with the need to discover more about the virus that had the potential to destroy them. But the sound of footsteps outside the door had him spinning around with a curse.

  With blinding speed he had the shelves shoved aside, revealing the tunnel. Cammy didn’t hesitate as she darted forward, entering the dark, moldy passageway with Karen still slung across her shoulder. They could only hope that Ward would be helped by his guards.

  Right now nothing mattered beyond getting out of the compound so they could warn Raphael of the newest danger to their people.

  CHAPTER 5

  It felt like an eternity had passed before Ice could at last give in to the fierce instincts of his puma.