Her eyes closed and she started to drift. And then, right when she was on the thinnest edge of sleep, she heard it. The soft scrape of metal on metal. Barely audible, but out of place in the natural rhythm of the night.
The crickets abruptly stopped chirping. They had heard it, too. Tess lifted her head, straining to hear. Her breath stalled in the back of her throat.
The sound had come from downstairs. It was the sound of the back patio door sliding open on its metal track.
She waited. Nothing-as if someone else was waiting, too.
Tess sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
Every nerve in her body tingled with anticipation. Someone was trying to get into the house. No, they were already inside. Tess knew they were here for her.
There was a scurry of movement in the downstairs hall, muffled footsteps and whispered voices. More than one person. She needed to get out. Too much of a risk to stay and fight.
She considered running down the hall to Ryans room, of making a stand with him at her side. But she could already hear them on the stairs.
No time. She shoved her feet into the shoes sitting at the side of the bed and headed for the window.
Down the hall, she heard Jung give a warning bark. Good boy, he was on patrol even though Ryan had barricaded him in his room. She slid the window open and started to throw a leg over the sill.
Thats when it hit her. A mind-jolting blast of pain right between her shoulder blades.
Tess dropped, falling over backward. Her limbs, arms and legs, twitched and jittered uselessly.
She landed on her back. Her vision clouded. Damn, someone had hit her with a Taser. Her brain yawned and then seemed to scramble, every thought going in a million different directions at once.
She tried to focus. Tried to make her muscles do what she wanted them to do. But they couldnt cooperate. She was a defenseless infant, sprawled on the floor.
From the corner of her vision, she could see them moving toward her. Two dark shapes. But she was too scrambled, too confused to see any specifics.
She couldnt move, couldnt defend herself.
She was completely at their mercy.
SOMETHING COLD AND WET poked Ryan in the face.
Jeez, Jung, get down, he grumbled, pushing the dogs wet nose out of the way. He lifted his head and listened, but the heavy hum of the air conditioner was the only sound. Go back to sleep, he ordered as his head dropped back down onto his pillow.
Jung whimpered and stuck his nose right back in his face.
Ryan sat up.
Frantic, Jung ran to the door, scratching and barking wildly.
Okay, okay, I get the message. You need to go out. He got up. You better not be using this as a ploy to get into Tesss room. He leaned down to scratch Jungs ear. Youre as enamored with her as I am, arent you boy.
The dog ignored him and barked again.
Ryan opened the door and was practically knocked aside as the dog charged down the hall, headed directly for Tesss room.
Concerned, Ryan ran after him.
Two strange men, dressed entirely in black and wearing hoods, stood in her room. One of them had Tess in his arms. Her eyes were open, but she wasnt moving. Her body was limp.
What the hell- Ryan yelled.
Jung was already tearing at the arm of one of the men, growling and snarling, his powerful jaws clamped onto the mans wrist. The man appeared to have a gun clasped in his hand, but Ryan couldnt be sure.
The other man turned toward Ryan. Were just here for the woman, he said. Call your damn dog off and well leave.
Youre not going anywhere, Ryan said, circling to the left. Put her down.
Cant do that, buddy. The man moved closer to the window. Just let us take the woman and you can walk away. It doesnt have to concern you.
Not going to happen, Ryan said, moving closer.
The guy backed up more, his eyes focused on Ryans face. As Ryan passed the vanity table, he palmed the bottle of antiseptic.
Guess we do this the hard way, huh, Doc, the man said as he unceremoniously dumped Tesss limp body onto the cushioned chair next to the window. Her head lolled back, and her arms flopped to her side. Her eyes were fuzzy, as if she couldnt focus.
The man charged, head down. He hit Ryan in the stomach, sending him backward. They hit the wall together with a crash. Ryan lifted a knee, jamming it up into the mans chin. The man grunted, his head snapping back.
As he staggered upright, Ryan swung, hitting him full in the cheek. A burst of pain shot up the length of Ryans arm, but he ignored it, going after the man with a fast right, followed by a left. The man fell over, hitting his forehead on the windowsill. He lay still. Stunned.
Ryan turned his attention on the other man. Jung had him cornered, his back against the bedroom closet. The gun lay on the floor. Good dog, hed earned an extra treat. Hed gotten the man to release the gun.
Ryan rounded the bed.
The second intruder dived for the gun, but Ryan beat him to it, lashing out with a kick that caught the man in the shoulder and spun him around. He yelped in pain as Jung jumped on his back, sinking his teeth into the meaty part of his upper shoulder.
Ry-an, Tesss warning was weak, barely a whisper.
He whirled around but not in time to dodge a fist from the first man, who had recovered. The blow smashed into his left temple. Bursts of light exploded in front of Ryans eyes, and he staggered two steps back.
Ry-an, Tesss warning was weak, barely a whisper.
He whirled around but not in time to dodge a fist from the first man, who had recovered. The blow smashed into his left temple. Bursts of light exploded in front of Ryans eyes, and he staggered two steps back.
He shook his head, trying to clear it.
The man charged him again, knocking him into the closet doors. The doors crashed inward, sending Ryan sprawling against a collapsed rack of clothes.
Come on, lets get out of here! one of the men yelled.
Jung yelped as the first man landed a good kick, sending him rolling into Ryan.
The two men rushed out of the room. Seconds later, their footsteps thundered on the stairs as they ran for the front door. The door opened and then slammed shut.
Untangling himself from Jung, Ryan pulled himself up. He ignored the sensation of red-hot needles prickling the entire left side of his face. He rounded the end of the bed, kneeling beside Tess.
Are you all right?
She lifted her head, her smile lopsided and halfhearted. Sorry I wasnt much help. They stunned me with a Taser gun as soon as they entered the room.
He helped her sit up. Who the hell were they?
She shook her head. I dont know. I woke up and they were in the house.
Im calling the police.
No! Tess reached out and grabbed his arm, preventing him from reaching for the phone sitting next to the bed.
What do you mean, no? Someone broke into my house and tried to kidnap you. Thats not something to fool around with, Tess. The police need to investigate.
She shook her head and weakly tried to pull herself to a standing position. She flopped back against the cushion and he didnt miss the frustration in her eyes. No cops. If you call the cops Im out of here.
From the looks of things, you couldnt leave if you wanted to. You can barely sit up.
Ryan picked up the phone and dialed 911.
Chapter Five
The next morning, General Thomas Flynn watched the endless rush of cornfields whip past the car window. He clamped his back teeth together and glanced down at his hands resting on his thighs. They were clenched so tight his knuckles shown white.
He forced himself to relax, sliding his finger along the crisp crease in his trousers. How did people actually live here? It was so far from civilization that their nearest neighbor could only be reached by getting into some kind of junky, beat-up truck and driving miles over teeth-rattling roads.
He shifted on the smooth leather seat, shooting his wrist out the end of his jacket to check his watch. Six-forty. The trip from the airport seemed to be longer than he remembered. Perhaps he should have allowed Bloom to send the helicopter, but Flynn knew keeping a low profile was critical right now.
Hed only visited once before, right after the center opened four years ago, and the less contact he had with the place the less chance there was that hed be tied to the center if something went wrong.
If something went wrong. He snorted in disgust. Something like their prime test subject rabbiting on them and Blooms bumbled rescue attempt. He leaned forward and hit the button lowering the window separating him from the driver. The young man behind the wheel glanced into the rearview mirror and cocked a respectful eyebrow. Sir?
How much farther to the Half Moon?
About ten minutes, sir.
Take me directly to the police station.
The driver nodded. Yes, sir. Dr. Bloom made it very clear that you wanted to be taken there first. He said that hed meet you there. Perhaps youd-
Flynn cut off the young mans comment by raising the privacy window again. He focused his attention back on the view outside his window. He wasnt in the least interested in what the young man thought he might like to do while he waited.
At the moment, he was more concerned about how the local chief of police was going to take the story he and Bloom had cooked up regarding Tess.
It was imperative that they get Tess back within the walls of the centers lab. The sooner she was under their control again, the sooner they could proceed with their plans.
TESS ROLLED UP on her side and groggily tried to see the clock sitting on the oak bedside table.
She watched as the green digital numbers flipped over to read 7:45 a.m. She rubbed her eyes and flopped over onto her back again. Her gaze fell on Ryan, sound asleep in the chair by the window.
She smiled. How sweet. Hed agreed to sit with her last night until she fell asleep. But he must have been so tired, hed fallen asleep sitting upright in the chair. His head was stretched back at an uncomfortable angle, and dark, unruly strands of his thick hair fell onto his forehead, giving him a slightly rumpled look.
Once the cops and paramedics were done asking their questions and checking them both over, the police had done a complete walk-through of the house and yard. They had left, promising to return in the morning with material to check for fingerprints. Not that anyone thought theyd find anything, especially when Ryan told them both men had been wearing gloves. But she knew they would be back and this time their boss, Chief Cole, would be with him. Shed been relieved last night when they showed up without the police chief.