Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
There was much chatter as Freya flew the chopper with everyone wanting to know what happened to Idris.
Shock about the fact Hiro, Svetlana, and Yuri could shift without having been subjected to the protocol.
Exclaiming over Levy’s death and the fact the monster from the first lab had actually made it to Russia for its revenge.
The loquacious Yuri reveled in narrating all that happened, and Idris let him, content to sit with Svetlana on his lap.
They’d made it out alive. A happy surprise, but she didn’t seem to be as ecstatic.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered into her ear.
She turned on his lap to say, “What happens now?”
Barrett overhead and stated, “We go home.”
“I have no home,” a statement murmured by Tatiana.
Hiro, the man who’d been the main ingredient and reason for the protocol, pursed his lips. “None of us truly do, but we have our lives.”
“We’ll help you get settled somewhere,” Takhi stated. “Although, given your Russian roots and the fact you’re on the KGB radar, I would recommend a different continent, just in case eliminating Levy wasn’t enough and someone tries to continue the program or eliminate loose ends.”
“Takhi’s right. Levy’s death might not be the end. We should assume that there exists records of the protocol and those it was used on, whether in a safe or stored on a computer.” Barrett stood, a hand braced overhead as he addressed them.
“True, but I think it’s important to remember that we’ve now beaten those assholes twice, three if you count the Harimau countering the general’s attempt to take them,” Phoenix added. “If you ask me, they’d be dumb to come after us again.”
“The general’s arrogance won’t ever let him stop searching,” Barrett interjected, which led to Idris clearing his throat.
“General is currently MIA. Apparently, he hasn’t been seen since the incident in Malaysia.” He glanced at Phoenix.
The lieutenant shook his head. “I forgot you don’t know. Davidson’s not dead. We found out during the fight that he took the serum.”
“Fuck off, he did not!” Idris exclaimed.
“He did,” Phoenix affirmed. “Took me by surprise when I saw him change into a gorilla.”
“Well, shit,” Idris murmured.
“The general is still out there, but in good news, he’s lost another lab.” Barrett took over again. “Will he be able to secure funding to open a third? Maybe. And if he does—”
“We’ll blow it to hell!”
“Kill him!”
“Fuck him up!”
Everyone had something to say, and none of it sounded like defeat. As a matter of fact, the vehement cries spoke of resilience and the determination to soldier on.
As the group devolved into chatter, Idris pressed his lips to Svetlana’s ear. “So where shall you, me, and Yuri head to? Name a place and I’ll get us there.”
“I’ve always wanted to visit Spain.”
Across from them, Yuri snorted. “Only because you’re obsessed with their cuisine.”
Svetlana leaned forward from his lap. “And where would you prefer to go?”
“Everywhere. The world awaits, and I want to see it.”
“I’m tired of travelling, though.” Svetlana sighed.
“Then perhaps it is time you planted roots somewhere and made a home, with a room for me, of course, when I visit.” Her brother grinned.
“Who will take care of you if I’m not around?” Svetlana retorted.
“I am a grown man,” Yuri announced. “And I’m pretty. I’m sure women will be more than happy to help me out anywhere I go.”
A bold statement that had Takhi snorting. “Because every grown-ass woman wants to take care of a man-child.”
“Child?”
As Yuri and Takhi bickered, Svetlana snuggled into Idris and whispered, “I’ve always wanted to live by the sea.”
A dream Idris would do his best to make true.
The helicopter landed in the middle of a circle of flares, with no buildings in sight, only a pair of vehicles, by which stood a man.
Slater, the only one of their group who’d gone through the protocol and never shifted, like Tatiana the woman they’d rescued.
Not for lack of trying though. Slater had told them of the injuries he’d sustained, and the painful days and weeks after it took to heal as the general tried to force the shift.
Most likely Tatiana had been subjected to the same torture.
Given each SUV had only five seats, they had to split the group.
Slater drove Hiro, Tatiana, Takhi, and Yuri, while Barrett, Tanis, Freya, Svetlana, and Idris travelled in the other.
At least the group had brought spare clothes, meaning they at least looked passable, although Idris and Yuri struggled with the small shoes.
Despite the late hour, they drove, stopping only to gas and piss. By late afternoon, they made it to Poland’s border, and more than a few of them tensed. Half of them lacked passports, and Idris remained a wanted man by the KGB.
Phoenix and Barrett handled the border guards by handing over a fat envelope of cash. Once they got waved through, they took turns napping uncomfortably and driving until they reached a hotel deep inside Poland.
A good thing his mates brought enough cash because they ended up renting seven rooms. Hiro ended up sharing with Tatiana, who panicked at the thought of being alone. Yuri and Svetlana took one room with two beds, while Barrett and Tanis ended up in the honeymoon suite.
Idris had hoped to spend the night with Svetlana but understood her brother likely wanted to catch up. Still, he missed her presence. How had he gone from single and fine with it to pining over a woman he’d known less than a week?
He showered and had just lain down on his bed wrapped in a towel when a light tap at the door had him bounding to open it.
Svetlana tilted her head. “Yuri is already snoring. I’m sleeping with you.”
“Okay.” As if he’d say no. He could barely contain his happiness at seeing her.
She strutted in and immediately began to strip, talking all the while. “Yuri is determined to see the world.”
“At least he won’t be alone.” To everyone’s surprise, Takhi had offered to be his companion, stating she’d been wanting to travel but preferred to not do so alone, given women tended to be targets in some foreign nations.
An odd statement for her to make, given how many men she’d made cry in the barracks for making the wrong kind of remark.
Idris didn’t call out her flimsy excuse, mostly because he knew it would reassure Svetlana to know Yuri would have someone by his side.
“Takhi will have her hands full keeping him out of trouble,” Svetlana retorted.
“Yeah, but if anyone can handle Yuri, it’s her.”
“Hiro is interesting.” Svetlana had removed everything but her underpants, and Idris couldn’t help but stare at her tight body.
“If you say so.” When they’d switched up the people in the vehicles, they’d had a chance to get to know the man. Or at least the others did. Idris had been napping.
“Did you know he went on a hunger strike in an attempt to die? Which is when they decided to use Tatiana to keep him alive.”
“I didn’t realize they were a couple.”
Svetlana snorted. “They’re not. More like a father-daughter relationship. It helped him get over the grief of losing his niece and nephew to the experiment.”
Insane to think their capture of Hiro had been the start of Project Therianthrope. “What’s his plan now that he’s free?”
“To move somewhere remote and hopefully never be captive again.”
Understandable. “I wonder what happened to those who escaped in the truck.” It had surprised Idris that Barrett let them go, to which the captain explained, “Most of them were still in the early stages of the protocol and can hopefully resume a normal life.”
“And if they can’t?” Idris asked. “What if they tell the wrong people about us?”
“The wrong people are already aware of our existence. And honestly, I’m thinking keeping that secret might be the worst way to handle this going forward.”
“You can’t be thinking of outing us.”
“No, but if the Russians happen to do it, we can see the reaction from the populace and learn from it.”
Callous, but also smart. Barrett couldn’t save everyone, but he did his best to ensure those who used to serve under him were taken care of. Idris could never thank him enough for leaving his safe haven and coming to his rescue.
Svetlana shook her head. “Their freedom will be fleeting if they stay in Russia. Either they leave the country like we did or risk being recaptured by the KGB.”
“Shit. Freed from one prison and practically thrown into another,” he muttered.
“There was no other choice. The helicopter couldn’t have taken them all.”
“I’m aware, but I can’t help but feel bad for them, especially those who’ve gone through the full procedure. They’ll never have a normal life.”
Svetlana grabbed his hands. “You cannot save everyone. At least now they have a chance.”
He changed the subject. “Takhi’s working on new identities and passports for us.”
“A bigger problem will be money. As in we have none,” Svetlana remarked with a wrinkle of her nose.
“Not entirely. Takhi’s been hacking and siphoning from bank accounts and says she can set us up with some funds. Enough for us to make it to Spain and find a place to live before we have to get jobs.”
“You still want to go to Spain with me?”
Might as well be blunt. “I want to be wherever you are.”
“That almost sounds like a declaration of love,” she stated, canting her head.
His lips curved. “Gonna tell me it’s too soon?”
Her head shook, and she placed her hands on his bare chest. “No, because I feel the same way too. What is the expression… when you know, you know?”
“I definitely know,” he growled as he dragged her close.
Knew what he felt. What he wanted. Needed…
Her in his arms, his bed, his life.
They made love slowly. No audience, no fear, just two people enjoying every touch and kiss.
He tasted her, the sweetness of her lips.
Caressed her silky-smooth skin. Feasted on the honey between her legs.
But when it came time to claim her body, she shoved him until he lay on his back.
She straddled his waist and rode his cock with wanton enjoyment.
A beautiful goddess. A siren who drew him simply by existing.
The woman he’d waited his whole life for.
Only she could make his pulse pound. Bring laughter to his lips. Sunshine to his life. Most important of all, she made his heart and soul whole.
But why did she have to have a brother?
“Rise and shine, you two lazy bears,” Yuri sang the next morning as he entered their room without warning, the bastard having somehow gotten a key.
“It’s too early,” Svetlana groaned.
“Don’t you want to spend time with me before I go?” A winsome taunt.
And so, the rest of his and Svetlana’s life started with them spending the next few days playing tourist with Yuri, the annoying younger brother he’d never wanted. Then again, Idris had nothing else to do since Takhi needed time to get their fake identities in order.
When the time to split up finally came, Yuri took Idris aside and said, “I am trusting you to protect my sister. Don’t fuck it up, or we will see whose bear is more ferocious.”
Not a bout they’d ever have, because Idris would make it his life’s mission to make Svetlana the happiest woman in the world.