Chapter 26
It was late evening when Alex was finally able to go home.
There was so much work to do. Gray Tower had only begun sweeping the scene.
So far, all they had done was secure the Sims Center, move the psych patients to a holding facility where they would be briefed, transfer the patient in critical condition to the Medical Center at HQ, move Douglas Sims to a cell there as well for interrogation, clean up the trail of Conglomerate bodies left behind, and relocate the two super suits to a safe location.
Now that Alex thought about it, that was quite a lot of work in the limited hours they had available.
Miles had let a few key people go home and get rest in shifts.
She was in the first one and would be back early tomorrow morning.
Alex knew that Kat had volunteered to stay back—partly because Jack would be working and partly because of the new super suits.
Her friend would be ecstatic about working on them.
Alex was happy she was going home where Nathan was, safe and sound.
She still wasn’t sure how he had gotten out without him or any other Gray Tower agent getting hurt.
She had been worried sick the entire time.
She pulled into her garage and found Nathan waiting for her in the kitchen.
She barely had time to put her purse down when he stalked forward, grabbed her, and kissed her fiercely.
Previously, this would have freaked Alex out, but now, this type of touch was welcome. Any affection from Nathan was heaven.
He pushed her gently into the nearest wall, his body flush against hers.
The kiss never stopped. Instead, it deepened, and he cupped her face while his tongue plunged farther into her mouth.
She could feel his arousal hard against her belly, and he began to part her legs with his knee.
She moved her legs apart, giving him easier access.
Suddenly, she was happy she wore a suit with a skirt today because one of his hands pulled up the fabric until her panties were exposed.
She bucked her hips into his hand, and his thumb found her clit through the lace.
He moved it in slow circles, making her close her eyes in bliss.
Finally, the kiss broke. They were both breathing hard when Nathan said, “I missed you so much. That was such a shit show. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, and I wasn’t sure if I’d see you again if things went wrong.”
“I was so worried, too,” Alex said softly, bringing her hand up to brush the stubble on his face.
“I need you right now,” he growled. “I need to be inside you. I’m going to combust if I don’t. So, tell me, “No,” if you don’t want this because if not, I’m going to fuck you right up against this wall.”
Nathan had never talked to her like this or had been this rattled. Maybe it should have scared her, but it didn’t. She wanted him to take her right here and then. She wanted his thick cock plowing into her and reaching those spots only he knew.
“Please,” she told him. “I want you, too.”
He growled, reaching down to unbutton his fly.
In a few motions, his jeans and underwear were pushed down, and his cock was free.
He pumped it a few times before pushing Alex firmly against the wall in the hallway that connected her garage and kitchen.
He hauled her up against the wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and his cock was rubbing against her most sensitive spot. She moaned and threw her head back.
He didn’t bother to tug off her panties. Instead, he pushed the fabric aside, lined up his cock, and slammed home. She was so ready for him that there was no issue. He bottomed out immediately, and Alex screamed—not in terror, but in absolute pleasure.
Nathan immediately stilled, concern in his eyes. He thought he had screwed up by being rough. He hadn’t. She loved this.
“No, no, no,” Alex said. “That felt good. Please keep going.”
Relief crossed his face, and then a look of pure lust.
“Thank God,” he groaned. “Because I don’t think I have gentle in me right now.”
He slowly withdrew, and she whimpered, feeling the sudden emptiness. Then, he slammed back in.
Yes, yes, yes, she chanted in her head as he began pumping into her.
Nathan held Alex by her ass while he buried his head into her neck, nipping kisses along her overheated skin. All the while, he continued pistoning into her, his cock stretching her in every delicious way possible. Her pleasure began to peak, pushing higher and higher.
Just when she thought she would reach the crest, Nathan pulled her from the wall, cock still inside of her, and carried her into the kitchen. He laid her down gently on the kitchen island and began thrusting again.
“Look how beautiful you are spread out for me, taking my cock so well,” Nathan praised.
Oh, gosh. Nathan was beginning to get comfortable sexually with her, and it was the most wonderful thing.
She lifted her head and watched, fascinated, as his dick slid in and out of her. The sight was erotic and made the ache at her core throb harder.
“Do you like watching me take you?” Nathan asked her, quickening his pace.
“Yes,” she panted.
He moved a hand to her clit and began massaging the sensitive nub. She thrust her hips into him, seeking pleasure. She had almost orgasmed before he had changed their positions. Now, she was desperate.
“I want you to come with me,” he told her. “I’m almost there, baby. Are you?”
She nodded frantically as his hips and fingers worked in tandem until she was at her limit. It only took a few seconds more, and she shattered.
A wave of pleasure crashed over her as she let out a small cry. She was momentarily lost in the bliss, but when she finally started to come down, she found Nathan had stilled. She felt his cum hit her inner walls, and she had another pleasurable aftershock.
They stayed like that—locked together, enjoying the aftereffects of their orgasms. At that moment, Alex felt complete. Nathan was that missing piece from her life that she never knew she needed.
She loved him.
They hadn’t been together for that long, and the future was completely up in the air. Yet, there was no doubt that she loved Nathan Slade.
Nathan stared down at her, confusion crossing his face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Oh, uh…” She couldn’t tell him now. Not like this. And what if he didn’t reciprocate? She needed time. “Just getting a kink in my neck,” she lied. “This is not the most comfortable place.”
“Damn. Sorry,” he apologized as he hauled her up and set her gently on the ground, his softening cock slipping out in the process.
Alex felt his cum start to leak from her, and she tried to catch it with her hand. However, Nathan had his own hand there, taking his seed and pushing it back up inside her.
“That’s where it belongs,” he said huskily.
She shivered at his sudden possessiveness.
“Is it?” she asked coyly.
“Yeah, and I’m going to make damned sure to get this mission finished so we can get on with forever.”
Alex felt butterflies in her stomach at Nathan’s words. Did he want forever? Did he love her, too? He had to if he wanted that, right? She was too chicken to ask, though. All she could say was, “Really?”
“Yes. Is that okay with you?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good. Let’s get you cleaned up and fed. You told me you had to go back early tomorrow?”
She nodded.
“How much did I fuck things up?”
“A lot,” she admitted.
Nathan tugged her skirt down and pulled her in for a hug.
“I’m sorry. I’m going to make things right, okay?”
“I know you will.”
He kissed her on the forehead, and for that moment, everything was right with the world.
? ? ?
“I need to know who this guy is,” Miles said, slapping down a pile of reports on his desk. “Are you absolutely sure he didn’t make any aggressive moves toward anyone at Gray Tower?”
Miles had called a private meeting with Jack, Mercer, Joel, Ryan, Logan, and Kat to go over some of the preliminary data they had discovered. Tomorrow morning, he and Alex would collate it and create a better report that they could officially give.
“Not that anyone reported,” Mercer told him. “The guy found a creative way to get past us without any harm done. I don’t think the guy is a threat to Gray Tower. He does seem hellbent on taking out as many Conglomerate agents as possible, including those two super soldiers we recovered.”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend?” Joel suggested.
“Possibly,” Jack agreed.
“I don’t like it,” Miles said. “The guy is a loose cannon, and he leaves a trail of destruction wherever he goes. I have reports around the country of places blowing up. It’s been kept quiet, but I still hear the chatter.”
“You think it’s all him?” Jack questioned.
“It is a possibility we have to consider,” Mile said. “Plus, there’s the issue of his suit not responding to our remotes.”
“Do you think the remotes are not working?” Mercer asked.
“They should,” Kat said sheepishly, her face growing red. “Maybe I screwed up?”
“Or the Conglomerate realized the issue and patched all the suits?” Jack suggested, quickly coming to his fiancée’s defense.
“That’s possible as well,” Miles agreed, his mouth tipped up in amusement at Jack’s loyalty to Kat. Then, another thought struck him. “Or it could be the one suit that was patched.”
Logan, who had been quiet the entire meeting, stiffened.
“You think it’s my brother?” he asked, his expression unreadable.
“Your brother or someone wearing his suit,” Miles suggested.
“But then again, the suits were programmed to be adapted to only one user. Unless that programming was broken, it could only have been Nathan. Given the company that coded the suit’s AI, I could see it.
I regret partnering with Cypherus for many reasons. ”
“But you think Nathan would be the most likely person?” Logan pressed.
“Given our rogue super soldier’s action, I think so,” Miles said, sighing heavily. “This complicates things quite a bit.”
“Oh, it’s more complicated than that,” Ryan spoke up. “After we transported the suits to a secure location, Gray Tower technicians attempted to extract the bodies from inside the suits. It was…ugly.”
“Yes, I saw that,” Miles said. “Did you find out why?”
“Preliminary reports say that the bodies were, uh, melted within the suits,” Ryan said, cringing. “The insides of the suits were melted too. I’m not sure how that could happen. Battery meltdown?”
“If the power melted down, the Sims Center would be a mini-Chernobyl,” Miles replied.
“Wait, what?”
“Huh?”
“Holy shit,” were the replies from the group as people processed what Miles had just said.
“I’m not going to get into it, but there’s a small nuclear battery running those suits.
What could have happened is that the internal environmental regulators were overheated to the point that they cooked the person to death.
It’s theoretically possible, but to break into the suit’s machine code to do that would be astounding.
The person would not only need Kat’s commands, but programming knowledge far beyond that. ”
Kat, who had been slouching over in a chair, suddenly sat up. A splash of panic crossed her face.
“Miles, what did you do with the super suit info Alex gave you?” she asked. “You made sure you kept it secure, right?”
Miles’ back straightened, alarm bells ringing in his head.
“I never asked for super suit info.”
“Alex came down not that long ago. She said you needed it. I gave her a USB key,” Kat said, her face going white. “Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. I am so fucked. What have I done?”
Miles cleared his throat and said, “Calm down, Ms. Langley. If Alex came to get information from you, it would have been the correct assumption to give it to her. She acts like my right hand. My question is: why did Alex ask for that information if she didn’t need it?
She has been acting differently since she was kidnapped. ”
A look of horror crossed Kat’s face, and she looked at Logan, asking, “What color eyes does your brother have? I can’t remember.”
“Why…?” Logan asked.
“What color eyes?” she demanded.
“Blue, why?”
“She’s dating Nathan Slade,” Kat said with finality. “The contact for her boyfriend is Blue Eyes. She picked up information about the super suit. His super suit is patched, and he has access to my commands. It’s the only logical conclusion.”
“Oh, shit,” Jack mumbled under his breath.
Miles’ chest tightened as he thought of the implications. Kat’s reasoning was sound, and this would explain everything. However, he didn’t know Nathan’s intentions.
“Is Nathan a good man?” Miles asked Logan, panicking.
“He was,” Logan said. “He helped on the island.”
“And then disappeared,” Ryan added.
“It sounds like he started a one-man vendetta against the Conglomerate,” Joel said. “I mean, I get where he’s coming from.”
“Of course, you do,” Mercer grumbled.
Miles nodded, encouraged.
“He could be trying to right his wrongs, but why wait a year? What am I missing?”
“Because he was incapacitated,” Logan said quietly.
Everyone turned to him. “Think back to Alex’s kidnapping report.
She described the man as emaciated and scruffy looking, but she also said he had piercing blue eyes.
It came up a couple of times. I think he’s our escaped patient.
I think the Conglomerate caught up with him and decided to do whatever weird shit they were doing in the Sims Center.
He escaped, found Alex, and used her to get out.
He made it a point to know most of the main players at Gray Tower and probably recognized her. I think he used it to his advantage.”
“Fucking hell,” Jack said. “That makes way too much sense. I hope it’s not true, but I have a feeling it is.”
Miles had that same feeling, and it hurt.
It hurt that Alex had gone behind his back, but it hurt more that she had been manipulated into doing so.
It seemed like she so desperately wanted to find someone to connect with that she ended up being attracted to another person who had kidnapped her—a true Stockholm victim.
He couldn’t hold that against her forever, but it still stung.
“We need to send a team to Alex’s home and extract her,” Miles said.
“On it,” Ryan said, standing from his chair.
“I also need someone to visit Douglas Sims and see if we can get any information out of him,” Miles continued. “I was going to give him until tomorrow since he was shot, but I don’t think we have the time.”
“I’ll get answers,” Jack said, smirking. “But later, I need to make sure Alex is okay.”
“Good,” Miles said. “I want this taken care of quickly. I have a bad feeling that Alex is in danger. We need to rescue her and grab Slade before anything terrible happens.”
“Let’s hope to God he’s not in that fucking suit when we get there,” Ryan mumbled, shaking his head.
“Shit,” Miles cursed, a rare occasion for him.
He shut his eyes, praying that Alex would be okay. He couldn’t lose her, not after all they had been through.