Chapter Four #2
But he’d been the one to create this mess. If he hadn’t worked for the Glass Research Company, his mate wouldn’t be keeping distance between them. At the same time, he might never have met Franklin, so he wasn’t sure he could fully regret working for the company.
What he did regret was hurting people. He’d been a coward and had kept his mouth shut for way too long.
In return, the Glass Research Company had hurt him, tortured him, and forced him to do the same to others.
He still had nightmares to remind him of every single second of that, and he hated it.
That was why he wanted to put an end to the company, and helping the mutants and Franklin was the only way to obtain that.
At least Franklin was listening now. It was clear he felt like he didn’t need Reed, and maybe he didn’t, but Reed wouldn’t take the risk.
He wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt his mate if he could stop it, and right now, the only way that he could do that was to give Franklin every bit of information he had.
By the time they were done, Franklin would know the name of every single guard who worked in the facility.
He’d know about every scientist and what kind of experiments they did.
He’d know about the prisoners and what state they were in.
Reed swallowed. That probably meant that he’d have to tell Franklin what had happened to Garrett in more detail, which wasn’t something he wanted to do.
Not only shouldn’t Franklin hear that because Garrett was his brother, but Reed had been part of that.
He’d hurt Garrett, and even though he hadn’t done so willingly, he felt like telling Franklin about it would link him to Garrett’s pain.
There was no other option, though. He needed to be honest.
He also needed Franklin to understand the risks.
Reed had seen too many people go into that facility thinking they were prepared, only to break down when faced with the reality of what happened there.
The screams, the smell of fear and pain, the way the prisoners looked at you with either hope or despair—it was hard to take.
Reed knew that better than anyone. He didn’t want Franklin to be unprepared for what he’d see, especially when it came to Garrett.
The brother Franklin remembered might not be the same person anymore, and that would hurt worse than anything else.
He looked down at his hands and swallowed again. His mouth was completely dry. “I think it’s time for me to tell you about Garrett.”
“I wasn’t sure you would.”
“I should’ve told you right from the beginning, but I wasn’t sure how you’d react.”
“And you’re sure now?”
“I’m not, but if you’re going to go in there, you’ll see your brother. You need to know what that means.”
“Why are you trying so hard to save him? Why him and not any of the other prisoners?”
Reed wasn’t surprised that Franklin was asking this question.
“I do want to save every prisoner. I want the guards and the scientists to pay for what they’ve done.
I want the Glass Research Company to be taken down, once and for all.
” Even though, from what Moore had said, the current owner was just as horrified as anyone else to learn what still happened in his company.
As far as Reed was concerned, evil had taken root too deeply and too long ago for it ever to be eradicated.
The company needed to be destroyed, and he hoped that the owner saw things the same way.
All these years, he’d tried changing things, and he’d failed.
He wasn’t going to succeed anytime soon.
No one would.
“I wouldn’t say that Garrett and I became friends, but we were forced to spend a lot of time together,” Reed said.
“You mean when you were hurting him?”
Reed wasn’t about to look Franklin in the eyes as he answered these questions.
Hell, he wished he could leave, but he knew better than to try.
Besides, Franklin deserved answers. It wasn’t going to change anything.
By the end of this, he’d still hate Reed.
“Mostly, yes. He knew that I didn’t want to do what I was forced to do.
He told me that he understood and to do as I was ordered. He didn’t want me to get hurt.”
“Yet you hurt him.”
“Not because I wanted to. When I could, I also helped him.”
“Which is what you’re still trying to do.”
“It is. I won’t ever forgive myself for what I did, even though I was forced.
I will never forget his screams, the pain in his eyes, and the way he was so gentle with me even after what I did to him.
If there’s one person who doesn’t deserve to be in there, it’s Garrett.
He should be here, with you, and I’ll make sure he has a good life even if it’s the last thing I do. I’ll free him myself if I have to.”
There was a moment of silence before Franklin answered. “That would probably end up badly, and we need you.”
Reed snorted. “I realize that. It’s why I didn’t do it.” He cleared his throat. “But you need to know about your brother. He’s a mutant now.”
“I expected him to be. What kind of ability does he have? For that matter, what kind of ability do you have?”
Reed wasn’t sure he was ready to talk about his ability. It felt more like a curse, and it wouldn’t be useful in this situation, anyway. “He’s able to turn into several animals,” he explained.
Franklin blinked. “He’s a lion shifter, like me.”
“He is. He can still shift into a lion, but he’s not limited to that form anymore. I’ve personally seen him shift into a wolf, a bear, a horse, and other big animals.”
Franklin paled. “That shouldn’t be possible.”
“It’s not supposed to be. That’s why he’s a mutant.
” Reed licked his lips. “All of that has affected him both physically and mentally. Shifting every time he’s ordered to in whatever animal the scientists want to see takes a lot out of him, but I’m afraid that he’s also losing who he is.
He’s not a lion shifter anymore. He’s every shifter.
It’s taking its toll, which is why we need to get him out of there. The sooner we do it, the better.”
“How did they do that?”
“I don’t know. I’m not a scientist. Being a lab technician didn’t give me any specific knowledge about any of this.”
“What were you forced to do to him?”
Reed paused and looked down again. “I made him shift.”
There was a moment of silence. Reed waited for Franklin to ask what that meant, to demand an explanation, but he didn’t.
Maybe he didn’t want to know. Maybe this was all too much for him.
If that was the case, Reed wouldn’t blame him.
It was too much for him, too, but he didn’t have a choice. He needed to do this.
As did Franklin. He wouldn’t stop until he had Garrett back, which was what Reed wanted.
Garrett needed to be freed. Reed had a plan—he would apologize to him again, and hopefully, he’d earn his forgiveness.
He wasn’t sure that would change anything when it came to Franklin and their bond, but that wasn’t why he wanted to do it, anyway.
He was trying to atone, and who better than Garrett to tell him that he finally had?
But that could only happen if they freed Garrett.
The weight of that responsibility pressed down on Reed’s shoulders.
He’d failed so many people already. He couldn’t fail Garrett again, and he couldn’t fail Franklin when his mate was finally so close to getting his brother back.
Reed would do whatever it took to make this mission a success, even if it meant sacrificing himself.
Franklin deserved to have his family whole again, and Reed would make sure that happened, no matter the cost.
* * * *
FRANKLIN TOOK A DEEP breath and forced himself to focus.
He knew what to expect when going into the lab—he’d done this before, multiple times.
He knew what the hallways would look like, how the guards would behave, how he’d have to look at the prisoners without really seeing them because he’d have to keep his cover.
He knew all of that. He didn’t need Reed to tell him about it.
But this time would be different because Garrett would be there.
Franklin’s brother would be in one of the cages there, and Franklin might have to see him without being able to do anything. The thought made his stomach churn. How was he supposed to see Garrett suffering and not react? How was he supposed to pretend he didn’t know him?
“Let’s go over your cover story again,” Reed said, pulling Franklin out of his spiraling thoughts. “Your false identity.”
Franklin nodded, grateful for the distraction. “Right. I’m Franklin Hayes. I worked as a guard at the facility in Colorado.”
“Which was raided three months ago,” Reed added. “You were on your day off when it happened. When you came back the next day, the place was closed. No explanation, no severance, nothing.”
“I never found out what happened,” Franklin continued, the lie coming easier because he’d practiced it. “One day I had a job, the next day I didn’t. I’ve been looking for work and ended up contacting the company because why not?”
Reed watched him. “Do you think they’ll believe it?”
“They’ll check my employment history, and it’ll all be there.
Moore made sure of that.” Franklin had been impressed by how thorough Moore had been.
He’d somehow managed to insert Franklin’s false identity into the Glass Research Company’s records.
As far as anyone would be able to tell, Franklin Hayes had worked at the Colorado facility for two years.
He’d never been to Colorado.
“The story makes sense.”
“What if they ask you details about the Colorado facility?”