The Commander, Navy SEAL Weaponized Combat Unit 7 as he’d been known in the Resurrection project, had been the first to break his programming, and with Black Bay’s help, he’dspearheaded the release and rehabilitation of the other soldiers in the project.
He was the figurehead to which all those men and women now looked as they slowly made the transition back from what had been done to them. Commander Grady Carter was proof that it could be done.
As Kong set Lark back on her feet, she said something to him and he threw back his head and laughed, the others at the table laughing with him.
Regret filled Katherine nearly to overflowing. What would have happened if she hadn’t been blindsided that first day? Would she be over with that group now, talking and laughing with them?
Get up, Katherine. Get up, right now, and go over there and apologize. But her body refused to obey her commands. So she was still sitting there, watching enviously, when someone at the table pointed and Kong looked over his shoulder. Right at her.
Gone was his smile and his laughter. He looked downright menacing as he turned and stalked purposely her way.
Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, shit…No more stalling. It looked like she was finally going to get her chance to apologize and it was going to happen now.
Sitting up straighter in her seat, she fought the urge to smooth her hand over her hair or straighten her sweater.
Grabbing the empty chair on the opposite side of her table, Kong dragged it out, the legs scraping loudly on the floor. Flipping it effortlessly around, he straddled it and settled his weight in the seat. “Katherine Knox.”
She swallowed hard and stuttered out, “Hi, hello, hi.” Her smile was tremulous, betraying how nervous she was.
The intensity of his stare unnerved her further and she dropped her eyes before she completely lost her nerve and scurried away like a frightened mouse. She could do this. She’d been waiting to do this. How many times had she looked for him on base, hoping to spot him so that she could say she was sorry? Her hands were shaking so she stuffed them under her legs.Clearing her throat, Katherine screwed up her courage and blurted, “I – I wanted to apologize.”
When he didn’t respond, she dared a peek up at him. There was no change in his expression so she quickly clarified, “For how I acted that first day.”
She wanted to explain herself and offer up excuses for her behavior – tell him how nervous she’d been that day, how badly she’d slept the night before because of her nerves, and how she’d had too much coffee to compensate for the lack of sleep, the caffeine making her extra jumpy – but really, there was no excuse for how she’d acted. “It was uncalled for and I’m sorry I offended you.”
There. It was done. But if she’d thought she’d feel some relief, some great weight lifting from her shoulders, she’d been mistaken.
Her mouth felt so dry she wanted to grab her cup of soda – which had become a cup of melted ice – and suck down the dregs, but she was afraid if she pulled her hand out from under her leg, it would still be shaking. Honestly, she was so nervous, she was amazed her whole body wasn’t quaking in her seat.
Why wouldn’t he say anything?
She heard a deeply disturbing rumbling sound and her eyes snapped up once more, then widened at the look on his face. She lurched back in her chair and that full-body tremble that hadn’t been there just seconds ago finally made an appearance. Had she thought he looked menacing before? That was nothing compared to the glare he was currently directing at her.
“Who’s your source?”
Katherine blinked rapidly. “I – I – I”
“How are you getting the messages out?”
She was gaping like a fish, her brain refusing to work.
Kong leaned forward and thumped the table making it jump and Katherine let out a little squeak. “Trust me, human. This will go easier on you if you tell me.”
Chapter Five
Kong couldn’t do this.He’d thought he could. He thought he’d steeled himself in preparation for what needed to be done but the woman’s fear was curdling his stomach. When he’d first approached, she’d been nervous, the scent of it mingling with the smell of her floral shampoo and laundry soap, but now her fear scent was cloying, rooting in his nose, overriding every other scent and making him realize how wrong he’d been. He wasn’t cut out for this. Not when it came to a woman. Give him a male and he’d pound the truth out of them, but women… Call him a chauvinist, but he simply did not have the stomach for it.
Katherine Knox was so scared she was trembling. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights and he felt like a bully. Taking a deep breath, he gentled his tone. “Has your father been making you spy for him?”
That was certainly a possibility. Kong didn’t have parents, so he couldn’t relate, but he understood that parental pressure could be a big deal for many humans.
Her brow scrunched and her eyelashes fluttered in confusion. “What?”
“August Cleary. We know he’s your father. Is he making you spy for him?”
Her mouth dropped open before she clapped it shut with an audible click of her teeth. She looked around nervously as if she was looking for a rescue. Did that mean she was hiding something?
She shook her head, her gaze finally returning to him. Licking her lips – was that a distraction ploy? – her voice quavered as she stuttered, “N-no. I’m not spying for anyone!”
