37. Reath
37
REATH
A nger tasted hot. Frustration tasted like dust.
My hands flexed on the wheel as I headed to the DARPA lab. The trees whizzed past on the side of the road.
Auclair was like a fucking ghost. I was certain he just let me see him on that camera to play with me again. To have me running all over New Orleans looking for him.
I blew out a breath. All I wanted right now was to see Frankie. To hug her, and breathe in her scent.
If she even noticed me. I smiled. It was easy to imagine her neck deep in her lab work, oblivious of the world.
I touched the dash. “Send a text message to Ben Axelson. I’m on my way.”
I waited for a response, but one didn’t come.
I frowned. He must be busy checking in with Trent Weare and his team.
A few minutes later, I reached the gate to the facility, and showed my ID to the guards.
“Ms. Parker is in the lab,” the guard said as he handed me a keycard. “Dr. Croft left earlier, and Mr. Weare had to leave as well.”
I fought back a scowl. I didn’t like the fucking head of security leaving Frankie.
“His team is still securing the perimeter,” the guard assured me. “And your PSS man is inside.”
I nodded and drove up to the building.
When I entered, the silence inside was deafening.
My brow creased. I was surprised that Frankie didn’t have some music on. My footsteps echoed as I headed down the hall. I reached her lab and peered inside.
There was no smiling, sexy scientist. I saw several Petri dishes laid out on one of the benches.
“Frankie?”
There was no response.
I pulled in a deep breath, fighting back a prick of panic. I knew something was wrong. My instincts were shouting it at me.
I drew my weapon and searched the lab. There was no Frankie, but there was no broken glass or disturbance or blood anywhere either.
I pulled out my cellphone and called Axe.
I heard a phone start ringing down the hallway. Stepping out of the lab, I followed the sound down the corridor.
Then I saw the body.
The blood in my veins hardened. I turned the corner and saw Axe.
He was dead.
He’d taken a bullet to the head, and there was blood sprayed on the walls.
Still, I crouched and checked for a pulse, even though I knew. My jaw worked. “Rest in peace, brother.” I leaned down toward his ear. “I will take down whoever did this. I promise.”
I rose and focused. The door to the security office Trent had showed me earlier was open. The computer was on. It took me sixty seconds to break into the security system and access the security feed.
I watched impassively as Trent Weare shot my man. I watched, my mouth a flat line, as he grabbed Frankie.
Then, a few moments later, I watched him wheel a large black box out to his SUV.
I might have looked calm, but inside, I was going supernova.
“ Fuck .” I kicked the table. I wanted to explode, destroy, punish.
I dragged in a deep breath. Losing it wouldn’t help Frankie. Right now, my woman needed me to be clear and focused.
I pulled out my cellphone and stabbed at the screen.
“Fury,” Dante’s voice.
“Dante, it’s me.” I paused. “Auclair has Frankie.”
“What? Fuck!”
“I need you and the others.”
“Where?”
I rattled off the lab address.
“We’ll be there soon.”
My brothers were coming. That helped calm a little piece of me. Next, I called PSS.
“Phoenix Security Services,” a female voice said.
“Keiko, it’s Reath. Put me through to Noah.”
There was a click, and a second later, Noah picked up. “Reath?”
“Noah, I need you to do a deep dive on the head of DARPA security. Trent Weare.”
“Okay,” my man said calmly. “You know we did a quick search, and he was clear.”
“I know, but he just killed Axe and abducted Frankie.”
“Fucking fuck,” Noah spat. “Axe is dead?”
“Yes. Call Broussard and let him know. I’ll be going after Frankie.”
“Sure, boss. Get the motherfucker responsible.”
Oh, I would.
And if anyone had touched a hair on Frankie’s head, I’d make them suffer.