Chapter 22
tweNty-tWo
THIRTY MINUTES AFTER SHE entered the building, Haven's location dot stopped moving.
Bacon overlaid the blueprint of the building and we made note of where her office was.
She had an exterior wall, which was good if we ever needed to get to her, but it faced a wide-open parking lot that was less than ideal from a cover standpoint.
I stared at that red dot until it burned into my retinas, then switched to the screen showing her vitals. They were all normal. She was relaxed.
I flicked an ear back as my front door opened. Bacon spun around and I could see her smile in my peripheral vision. I didn't need to look. I already knew it was Roul.
"Has he looked away from that screen at all?"
"Nope." Bacon answered, popping the p.
"How is she?"
I heard Bacon's sigh. "Still breathing."
"If she stops breathing, I am breaking every law that exists," I muttered.
I could feel Roul's look boring into the back of my skull.
"I said if," I added quickly. "And saying I'll break them assumes I know there are laws. Just ones that won't apply to me in that situation."
"Anyone else here yet?"
That got my attention. I glanced over my shoulder. "What do you mean, anyone else?"
"I'll take that as a no. Everyone's on their way."
I turned in my seat to stare at him. "That's not necessary."
He snorted. "You try telling Nanna not to come feed you. I like being alive. And once word got out she'd be cooking again..." He shrugged.
I groaned and stared at the ceiling, resigning myself to another day with everyone hovering over me. It wasn't long before my other brothers charged in, asked the same question about me staring at the screen, got the same answer, and then took up positions behind me like gargoyles.
Kendal, Jade, and Nanna arrived shortly after, and without being told, all the 'fangs filed outside to bring in whatever Nanna'd cooked.
It seemed like word hadn't spread beyond the compound, since none of Supe Sec or any other Jackal Division people showed up.
"We have a perfectly good commons if you wanted to get together today." I tried to keep the irritation in my voice at a minimum. They meant well. Even if they were annoying.
Nanna patted my head like I was a dog. I blinked with every heavy fall of her hand.
"Let us take care of you. Nobody's going to make you stop staring at the screen."
I slumped in my chair. I knew I was being churlish, but I couldn't help myself. My emotions had whiplash when it came to Haven. I was proud of her for wanting to fight back, and terrified that something else would happen while she was out of my sight.
The day was a blur of background noise as the world flowed around me like a rock in a stream.
Someone put food in front of me and I ate.
Several times my steel water bottle was refilled and shoved into my line of vision, so I drank.
I watched the dot on the screen as it moved around the building, but mostly it stayed put in her office.
By late afternoon, Nanna headed home, leaving a key lime pie she threatened everyone not to touch. She knew it was my favorite. On the way out, she leaned down and spoke softly in my ear.
"You share that pie with Haven when she comes home. The sugar will do you both some good after this stressful day."
I wrapped her in a side hug. "Thank you."
She patted my head again and left. Soon after, the others filed out. The red dot moved outside, then went faster. She was in her car, on her way home.
I bounced on my toes, unable to squelch the happy, nervous energy.
I decided to wait on the porch, then decided that was too much like a sad puppy.
Of course, leaned over the back of my couch leaving nose prints on the living room window didn't exactly scream "well-adjusted, mature, genetically engineered killing monster. "
I tracked her as she got out of her car and made her way inside. She looked tired. "You look tired."
Her lips ticked up. "Yeah, it's been a long day of pretending to be normal while jumping at shadows."
I wrapped her in my arms. "You're safe now."
I felt her cheek move against my chest as she nodded.
"Yes, but I have to do it all over again tomorrow. And the day after that, and who knows how many days after that."
"We'll take it one day at a time. The day you decide you don't want to go back, you won't."
She stiffened and pulled away.
"I have to. They altered my DNA. Someone has to be held accountable. How many others did they do this to before me? How many others will they keep doing it to if they aren't stopped?"
"My brothers and I can stop them. Make sure they won't hurt anyone ever again."
She sighed. "We don't need a strike force going in guns-a-blazing. This requires precision. I want the files. I want the details, the names, the protocols. I want to see exactly how it was done and when."
I made a mental note to ask Bacon to hack Novagen's computers. If they were smart, nothing was digitized. But if they were careless or arrogant, then we could get the information Haven wanted without putting her in further danger.
The doorbell rang and she startled. I patted her back. "It's okay. I ordered in dinner."
"What?"
I opened the door to find Jade and Thurl. Jade smiled and handed me a foil-wrapped dish.
"He only let me carry the garlic bread."
I waved her inside and she set the bread on the table, followed by Thurl, who dropped a large insulated bag. "The rest was heavy," was his grunted explanation.
"Don't worry, Nanna made it." She winked, gave Haven a quick hug and shoved Thurl out the door. She threw a grin and an "Enjoy!" over her shoulder as she pulled the door shut.
"So this is how a monster orders in dinner." Haven laughed.
The sound was so beautiful I was struck dumb. She was setting the table when I recovered. "Sit down; let me do that."
"I can help."
"I know, but you're tired, you've had a long day, and I like taking care of you."
I could feel her eyes on me as I slipped the spaghetti and meatballs from the insulated bag and uncovered the garlic bread. When I looked up at her, tears were streaming down her face.