Chapter 45
Jamie climbed the stairs on his way to the Jensens’ kitchen. He’d spent the last half an hour glued to Aiden’s side as the diner patrons they’d rescued had offered their thanks. He’d watched as Aiden repeatedly blushed and tried to downplay any of his actions. “It was Leah,” he repeated over and over.
“Mate has to just accept thanks and move on,” Jamie’s wolf insisted.
He agreed with his protective beast.
“How’s he doing?” Leah met Jamie at the top of the stairs and followed him to the kitchen.
“Better.” He studied her. She seemed much better. She, too, was wearing a GLPD hoodie in place of her burnt sweatshirt. The tips of her long, light-brown hair were slightly singed, but she otherwise appeared well. “How about you?”
“Loads better. Sorry for the screaming when we first got here. I didn’t mean to upset him.” Leah winced.
Jamie felt his eyebrows head for the sky. “No. No apologizing for being in pain. It must have hurt like hell.”
Leah grimaced and hesitated before answering. “It did. It really did. The phoenix fire really doesn’t affect you?”
Jamie shook his head. There were several wolf shifters that he recognized in the kitchen, some eating and drinking. Others manning cell phones and taking notes. He nodded to them and walked to the fridge. “Do you want a drink?” he asked Leah.
She shook her head. “No, no thanks.”
Jamie perused the drinks on the shelf and decided on something with high sugar content. Aiden needed the calories after shifting. He pulled two cans of soda out and closed the door. He opened and closed cabinets, looking for a couple of glasses. He grabbed two and filled them with ice from the refrigerator dispenser.
“Jamie?” Jamie turned to answer wolf shifter Linc. He and his wife Sadie owned and managed the Hawk’s Eye Pub and Grille. They were nice people.
“Yes?”
“I’ve been cooking for anyone that needs it. I thought you and your mate might be hungry.” He pushed a plate with three thick burgers toward him. He even added a couple of napkins. “I’ll have more ready in a few.”
Jamie smiled at the burly black-haired man. “That’s perfect. I was wondering what I was going to feed him.” He huffed a laugh. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Linc grinned in return.
Leah stepped in front of Jamie. “Here, I’ll help you with that.” She picked up the dish with the burgers, and they headed back downstairs. “Can Aiden control the amount of heat he emits when he shifts?” Leah asked.
Jamie tilted his head as he considered. “He may be able to as he becomes more adept using his powers, but who knows? Was Tessa able to do that?”
Leah shrugged. “I don’t know, but some of the older shifters like Frankie might know.”
Jamie paused at the bottom of the stairs and immediately zeroed in on his mate. Aiden was sitting on one of several sofas set up in the expansive furnished basement with Deacon and some of the older shifters from the diner. He was laughing at something Deacon said. He caught Jamie staring and gave him a lopsided smile. Jamie was staring back like a lovesick fool when Leah interrupted his thoughts.
“Here,” Leah said. She thrust the food she was carrying at Jamie.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and took the plate with one hand, juggling the glasses and soda in his other.
“Go feed your mate. I’ll see if I can get us some answers.”
Pop!
Jamie watched as the shifters who’d been speaking with Aiden stood and shook his hand one by one before going to speak with Deacon on the other side of the large family room. Jamie headed over and took a seat next to Aiden on the sofa. He handed him the plate. “Hey, you,” Jamie said.
Aidden dropped a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks. Did you have some yet?”
Jamie shook his head.
Aiden nodded toward the plate. “Then we can share.”
Jamie nodded and took one of the burgers from the plate. They ate in companionable silence while others milled around the room and talked among themselves.
“Are you still upset about Terris coming over?” Jamie asked after finishing.
Aiden finished the first burger and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I’m not really upset, just anxious. I just hope what he has to say is helpful in stopping my father.”
Jamie nodded and glanced at the top of the stairs. Just then, Mac walked down with Leo Terris following. The short, dark-haired bearded man was dressed down in a flannel shirt, jeans, and hiking boots. He looked like he hadn’t slept well in days, or even weeks. He knew that the genetics professor had been placed under SCB protection for his own safety following the murder of his best friend Miles. Jamie couldn’t remember much about his time as a captive in the laboratory facility, never mind Terris’s role in his treatment. Flashes appeared in his mind rather than coherent memories.
“Mate upset,” his wolf silently said.
Jamie leaned against Aiden in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “It’ll be OK,” he silently told Aiden.
Mac and Terris stopped on the way over to them and spoke quietly to Deacon. Deacon and Finn then rounded up the others and led them all upstairs. Deacon stayed and walked with the two toward the sofa.
“I was wondering how we were going to have this discussion with all these people around,” Aiden said to Jamie.
“Yeah, that would have been a bad idea. Most of these people know that your father is up to no good, but they don’t know anything about his experiments. At least, I don’t think so. I think Heath’s been circumspect in what he’s told his packmates,” Jamie said.
“Probably better than freaking everyone out by talking about experiments on shifters,” Aiden said.
“Yeah,” Jamie agreed.
Aiden and Jamie went to stand as the three approached, but Mac waved her hand to indicate they should stay seated. Terris and Mac sat down on the sofa opposite the one they were on. Deacon grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it over and took a seat.
“You feeling better?” Mac asked Aiden.
Aiden nodded. “Back to normal.” He gave Terris a onceover. “What’s this all about?”
Terris nodded. “Sorry to bother you guys, but I thought it was important.”
“Well, what happened?” Jamie asked. “I thought your memories about the lab were blocked.”
“They were, but Mac’s been working with me. She gave me some techniques to help me relax. Last night, I had some pretty vivid dreams, and I remembered certain things. I remembered where the lab was. I remembered driving there and where Miles and I lived on the property. Not everything, but a lot,” Terris said. “It was weird. Before I just got flashes and images, but last night I saw like more of a story.”
“Did you remember anything about my father?” Aiden asked. “Anything specific that we can use to tie him to these experiments?”
“No, that was the strange thing. I know he was in charge. I met him before. I remember him coming to the lab, but I can’t remember specifics like dates or times he was there. It’s like there’s holes in my mind where specifics about him used to be,” Terris said. “When I start to get an image of him in my mind, it fades away.”
“You told someone else about these new dreams, right?” Aiden asked. “Heath, Jasper?”
Terris ran a hand through his hair and nodded. “Yes, of course. I called Jasper. I’ve been dealing with him mostly. I still have an SCB bodyguard with me twenty-four-seven. He’s actually upstairs in the kitchen right now. Jasper told me he was going to check out the lab this morning with some of the other SCB agents.”
“Heath called me and said he was going, too,” Mac added.
“Where is it?” Jamie asked. He truly had no idea. His memories of that time were like Swiss cheese.
“Up in Maine. Along the coast. Place is a little less than a two-hour drive from here,” he said.
“Maine? He lives in Rhode Island. Why would he keep his lab all the way up in Maine?” Aiden asked.
“He wasn’t there that much. I remember that much, at least. I remember names of people that worked with me. Some of the other scientists, the technologists.”
“What about the patients?”
Terris shook his head. “I remember what some of them looked like, but I never knew their names. I knew them by subject numbers.”
Jamie felt Aiden tense up beside him, so he squeezed his hand. Aiden would be close to losing it.
“Please stay calm. We can’t have you incinerating him,” Jamie begged Aiden silently.
He heard Aiden take a long breath in and then blow it out slowly.
“Thank you,” Jamie said.
“You told Jasper and Heath the names of the workers you remember, too, I assume?” Deacon asked.
Terris nodded. “Yes.”
“All of a sudden you remember all this?” Aiden asked, his voice incredulous.
“Yeah. Look, I know it doesn’t make sense, but maybe something happened to him. Your father, I mean. Maybe his power is weakening? Maybe the block he placed on me is starting to weaken a bit? I don’t know. All I can do is tell you what I remember. This isn’t a trick. I want to make him pay for what he did to Miles,” Terris said. “I told Heath before that I don’t care what happens to me anymore. The only thing I am living for is to make sure he pays for what he did to the best person I ever knew.” His eyes were wet.
Miles. Terris was driven by revenge for his friend.
Aiden shot up off the sofa. “Miles? What about Jamie?” He thrust his hand at Jamie. “What about the others you tortured, or do they not matter?”
Jamie placed a hand on Aiden’s wrist, where he could feel the tension and the heat radiating off him. “Aiden, come sit with me.” He silently added so only Aiden could hear, “Control your beast. You’re starting to heat up.”
Aiden sat back down next to Jamie. Jamie snuggled in closer, grabbing and holding his hand.
“Whoa, I felt that blast of heat. So, you really do heat up when you’re upset,” Terris said.
“Yeah, he does,” Jamie answered. Aiden already seemed calmer, but he didn’t want to push it. “He’s a little protective of me. We’re mates,” Jamie said.
Terris gave him a sad smile. “Nice. I mean congratulations.” He looked between the two men. “To both of you.”
“Thanks,” Jamie said. Aiden simply grunted.
“What if we could ensure Leo is telling the truth?” Mac asked Aiden.
Jamie caught her eye briefly. She wanted him to enter Terris’s mind and snoop around. He winced. He didn’t think Aiden would like this at all.
“We can do it,” his wolf said.
“Of course, we can,” Jamie silently agreed.
“Would you feel better about this?” Mac continued.
“Yeah, like maybe this wasn’t a wild goose chase or a trap,” Aiden said, “but how?”
Jamie rubbed Aiden’s hand with his thumb. “She wants me to read his mind.”
Mac nodded. Terris looked resigned.
Aiden shook his head and gave Jamie a pleading look. “No, no, no. You don’t know what you’ll see in there. What if it triggers some bad memories?”
“I think it’s better to know what happened there. This not knowing isn’t healthy. I keep getting flashes of images, mostly nightmares. This may help,” Jamie said. He bent closer and whispered into Aiden’s ear. “I want to know what they did to me. I need to know. Besides, you’ll be right here to make sure I’m alright.”