“Not without Lark.”
“Lark’s skills with interrogation are top-shelf, but we have others who can get the information from him easily. Just give the word and we’ll get what you need from him.”
Lark’s skills were amazing – everything about her was amazing – but that’s not why he wanted her there. He could get the information himself if it came down to it. Blackmore wasn’t military, he had no counter-interrogation training. But Grady wanted Lark with him. “She’s the one who made the connection about the chip. She’s point on this.”
“Your choice.” The General shot him a flinty look. “As long as you can maintain. You feel yourself slipping we move on this whether Lark’s on her feet or not. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Good.” A sharp nod before the man’s expression turned positively evil with glee. “In the meantime, his whining and bellyaching are driving Dietrich up a wall.” He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “I just love antagonizing that woman. Makes my whole goddamned day.”
Grady chuckled. “I heard someone messed with her AC, left her sweating for a while. Was that you?”
“I can’t take the credit, but damn, that was great.” Grinning, he shook his head before he sighed and looked over his shoulder at the sliding glass doors and the people milling around in Lark’s living room. “Time for me to go kick some asses into gear. We’ve got a base to run.”
Where Perrin and Kong had tried, the General succeeded. In under a minute, he had the apartment cleared, but for Kong and the three women who had permission to stay.
Grady immediately went to Lark’s side and before he’d even made the conscious decision, his optical upgrade had scanned her, limning her features in cool green light. Her body temperature, pulse, and respiration were now close to normal. Amazing. And so fucking strong it blew his mind. She might be lying still but she was fighting a battle inside. A battle she was going to win.
“She’s strong.”
Grady had sensed Lynx entering the room, so he didn’t startle when she spoke. “She is.”
The sensors on his robotic arm let him ‘feel’ the gentle touch on his forearm and he looked down at the much smaller woman.
“Lark spoke highly of you,” she told him before her gaze drifted to the still form on the bed. “Speakshighly of you,” she amended. “She enjoys spending time with you.”
A lump lodged in his throat and he cleared it with a gruff noise. “I enjoy spending time with her too.”
Lynx nodded. “Listen, I’m going to go grab food for all of us from the mess. You want something?”
He almost shook his head no until he did a quick check of his own vitals. His energy levels were low. Too low, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. Not without checking his internal logs. “Yes, please.”
With another nod, Lynx left him alone with Lark and he settled into the chair beside her bed. He’d spent so many hours in it at this point he was surprised it didn’t hold a permanent imprint of his ass.
Leaning in, he braced his elbows on the edge of the mattress and brought his mouth close to her ear. Quietly, he began to speak. “I don’t know if you can hear me, Lark, but if you can, I know you’re probably itching to know what’s going on.”Dog with a bone…Clearing his throat more softly this time at the mental reminder, he took her hand and placed his fingertips over her pulse, finding comfort in its steady rhythm. He filled her in on what the General told him as well as all the visitors she’d had that day.
“I met the guy who painted your wall. Erik? I think that was his name.” Grady hadn’t been able to tell what secrets may have been hidden in the horrifically scarred man’s DNA nor had he had the urge to strike up a conversation to ask. The man had been on the defensive as soon as he walked into the room, practically itching for a fight. His aggression had been palpable. “The guy may be talented but, man, the dude has anger issues. And here I thought I was bad. He was snapping and snarling at everyone until Perrin got in his face.” Grady let out a low chuckle. “Woo. Remind me to never piss that one off. She has killer-death-glare down to an art.”
He could almost hear Lark’s merry laughter in his head. He wanted desperately to hear it for real. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he pleaded, “Open your eyes and talk to me, Lark. I want to see those gorgeous eyes.”
But her lids remained closed and her hand stayed limp in his.
Chapter Fourteen
Hehadthedreamagain. The same dream he’d had every time he fell asleep since returning from the op in Ohio. He hadn’t dreamed when he’d been fully immersed in the Resurrection program. Stasis was different from regular sleep. It didn’t allow for dreams.
When he’d been young, he frequently dreamed of school with his best friend Graham usually playing a starring role. Even after Graham’s death, he’d been in Grady’s dreams – smiling, laughing, goofing off – only for him to wake up and be hit with the loss all over again when he remembered his best friend was gone.
Later, he’d dreamed of war. The sounds of battle, the faces of people he’d killed, and the faces of teammates he’d lost. Those dreams had always had him waking up in a cold sweat, his heart racing. When he’d regained his memories thanks to his sister, those dreams had returned, but this dream was different.
He was in a dark, square room with a black floor and ceiling, enclosed in black walls with pinprick lights. There were no doors and no windows – no way out – and while he couldn’t see anyone, he knew he wasn’t alone. There was a voice in the dark, calling to him. The voice was familiar and non-threatening, but he couldn’t place it. Was it another lost memory trying to break through? Had seeing Ridley shaken something else loose? Another piece he hadn’t known he was missing?
Pushing off the thought for now, he sat up and scrubbed his hands over his face. In the two weeks since Lark’s injury, Grady had been crashing at Kong’s place across the hall, on the big guy’s pull-out couch. Surprisingly, the General hadn’t demanded Grady return to his own quarters, had even given his silent consent by sending over Grady’s gear. Not that there was much. He’d arrived at Black Bay with the clothes on his back – the rest of his meager belongings had been supplied to him from the base’s stores.
That first night, he’d wanted to stay in Lark’s apartment, but the females had adamantly quashed that notion. Grady could spend his days with her, they had no problem with that, but he wouldn’t be sleeping in Lark’s space. Not without Lark’s consent.
He got it. He did, but he’d still been prepared to argue the point even if it meant sleeping outside her door until Kong had thrown an arm around his shoulder. “Come on. You can stay with me.”
