Chain Reaction, page 21
part #2 of Liar's Game Series
“Which leaves us pretty much nowhere,” Mia said, pulling her attention back to the conversation at hand.
“That’s not completely true. You’ve got a lot of evidence here. It’s just a matter of putting it in the right order.” Matt held out his cup and she refilled it. “So the real question is what could have happened on the morning of August 6th that killed Ellis Brewster’s cattle, rendered you unconscious and started a chain reaction that ended with a nuclear blast that wiped out the town of Cedar Branch.”
“Separate events with causal connection,” Nick said, nodding his agreement. “But what the hell are we talking about then?”
“I don’t know.” Matt shrugged. “I’m just throwing out ideas.”
“Well, if there were two unique events, that might explain why I didn’t show any signs of exposure to radiation,” Mia suggested.
“Yeah, but the cattle were exposed. The radiation just wasn’t enough to kill them. Nick said you were in a bomb shelter. Maybe it protected you,” Matt said.
“My grandfather built it right after World War II,” Mia protested. “I think it’s a stretch to believe that it would have protected me completely.”
“Okay, so what about the mask?” Nick asked. “Maybe that contributed as well.”
“The mask?” Matt asked, frowning.
“I use it when I work with toxic chemicals.”
“Nick said you were an artist.”
“I am. I’ve been working with etching techniques. For metal. And the solvents involved can be poisonous if too much is inhaled. So most of the time I wear a mask.”
“So together maybe they were enough.”
“Or maybe she was never exposed to radiation at all,” Nick said.
Mia’s heart sank. “I thought you said you believed me.”
“I do. That’s not what I’m getting at. Your memory stops at sometime around ten in the morning, right?”
“Approximately.” She nodded, trying to follow his train of thought.
“And that coincides with the first event Ellis talked about and the approximate time of death for the cattle as established by Dr. Loring.”
“Except that I’m not dead.”
“Doesn’t matter. It puts your part of the story squarely in line with the first event.” Nick frowned as he tried to order his thoughts. “So maybe you were part of the plan all along.”
Mia opened her mouth, but Matt cut her off. “You think that they wanted Mia to survive. So if push came to shove they’d have someone to blame.”
“But that would mean that they had to know the weapon was going to detonate,” Mia protested.
“Which would mean it wasn’t an accident.” Nick’s expression was grim.
Horror ripped through her, robbing her of breath, the idea making her sick to her stomach.
“It could have been a deliberate test,” Matt suggested. “That would explain a lot of things.”
“But not the dead cattle,” Mia insisted, trying to push away the thought that her friends had been intentionally sacrificed.
“Maybe that really is a spurious connection,” Nick said. “Or maybe the vet was wrong. He did say he’d never dealt with anything like this before.”
“And you said he was young,” Matt offered.
“So what? Now you think the livestock did die of radiation poisoning?” Her head was spinning from all the possibilities.
“The truth is we don’t know anything for certain. Except that there definitely was a nuclear explosion in Cedar Branch, and that Kresky International as well as Senator Tucker and possibly Senator Hatcher were involved.”
“But we have the sample,” Mia said. “And if we can get it analyzed we’ll know for certain what happened to the cattle. And maybe have a clearer picture of how their deaths tie into the explosion.”
“If they tie in,” Matt added. “I’ve got an old friend in Laramie. A pathologist. We went to school together. In another life I wanted to be a doctor. I think I can get her to run the tests we need.”
“Good,” Nick said. “That’ll leave Mia and me free to check out Kresky’s so-called research arm. The only way we’re going to be able to move any of this beyond speculation is to find out what Kresky’s been up to.
“If his company really is developing some new kind of nuclear weapon and that development resulted in the explosion that took out Cedar Branch — accidental or otherwise — we need solid proof. And the only way we’re going to get that is to obtain documentation from Biosphere. And to do that we’re going to have to find a way to get inside.”
THE STORM HAD BLOWN OUT, the velvety sky sprinkled with diamond-bright stars. Mia sat on the upstairs balcony, letting the cool night breeze soothe her battered soul. If she lived through this, she’d have to start over. Make a new life. And, truthfully, the idea terrified her.
But there was something inherently comforting in the idea that despite man’s inhumanity, the world just kept on turning. Sunrise and sunset continuing without so much as a by-your-leave. It was humbling if nothing else.
For most of her life, she’d listened to her grandfather and her mother rail against the horrors of nuclear fallout. They’d fought against reactors, test sites, missile silos, the works. And here she sat, the sole survivor of what would no doubt be remembered as one of the worst nuclear accidents in U.S. history. Only instead of trying to deal with her grief, she was running for her life. Scrambling to find answers that looked to be more horrifying than anything she could possibly have imagined.
And yet here she sat, drinking in the beauty of the night sky, the dark blue of the mountains framing a brilliant canvas of contrasting light and shadow. The Milky Way, the North Star, the Big Dipper — the same stars that had entranced mankind for countless generations, leaving hope that maybe there was something bigger out there. Something better.
“You should be sleeping.” The sound of Nick’s voice rasped against her nerve endings and she shivered, anticipation knotting inside her.
“I know. But I can’t. Just too many things to think about, I guess,” she said with a sigh.
“There was nothing on the news about the accident. My guess is Davies found Gall and his partner before anyone else did.”
“Which means he’s out there somewhere, looking for us.” She shivered, wrapping her arms around her waist. “Did you and Matt come up with a plan for tomorrow?”
“Not really. Matt did his best, but even with his computer skills, you can’t create something out of nothing. He even tapped Kresky’s computers, but there was nothing linking to Biosphere. If we hadn’t seen the address I’d be tempted to say it doesn’t exist.”
“So what do we do?”
“Recon,” he said, moving to lean against the balcony railing. “It’s the only way we’re going to get the lay of the land. Hopefully, we’ll be able to formulate a plan for access once we’ve had a chance to see the place and study the comings and goings. If we’re really lucky, maybe an opportunity will present itself.”
“And if it doesn’t?” she asked.
“Then we’ll just have to make our own. You up for that?”
“If it helps to nail Tucker and Kresky, I’m up for anything.” She stood, walking to stand beside him, still looking out at the night. “It’s so peaceful here, it’s kind of hard to believe we’re caught up in something so heinous.”
“Maybe that’s why we have the stars. To remind us that we’re not the be-all and end-all we think we are.”
“I was just thinking the same thing,” she said, closing her hands around the railing as she looked up at the sky. “When I was little my mom and I used to lie on the grass, and she’d name the constellations. Then she’d tell me the stories about each one. Cassiopeia hanging upside down on her throne. Andromeda chained to the rocks. Orion, who walked on water. It’s really just his belt.” She pointed to the sky, tracing the constellation. “It starts with Mintaka on the right. See?”
“They’re beautiful,” he said, but he wasn’t looking at the stars.
Mia swallowed, anticipation blossoming into full-fledged desire. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t do this again, but the mind and the body weren’t always in accord. “Where’s Matt?” she asked, her voice coming out on a sigh.
He smiled, reaching out to capture a strand of her hair, twining it around his finger. “He’s asleep. Or at least safely ensconced in the bedroom downstairs. So I guess it’s just you and me.”
She swallowed, cognizant thought disappearing as pheromones flooded her body, heat spreading outward from somewhere deep inside. Her eyes locked with his, her heart beating staccato against her ribs. “We…we really shouldn’t…” She fought for sanity, for words, but he shook his head, pressing his finger against her lips.
“Hush,” he whispered. “The time for talking is over.” A slow, sensual smile curved across his face and her breathing quickened, every nerve ending in her body firing at once. She shuddered with heat, then shivered with cold as he pulled her closer, his hand warm against the small of her back, his breath mingling with hers.
They stood for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes, and then with a sigh she swayed forward, tipping her head back, offering herself to him. She needed his touch now more than she needed to breathe.
He dipped his head, his mouth slanting over hers, the kiss slow and sweet, building in intensity. Passion coiled tight, begging for release. She pressed against him, reveling in the hard strength of his body as he trailed kisses down her neck, caressing her ear with his tongue, sending a delicious warmth spiraling through her.
God, she wanted him — wanted him with a mounting urgency that negated all common sense. She fought for breath, whimpering with need as his hand slid inside her shirt, cupping her breast, kneading the tender flesh.
With a groan he pulled back, eyes dark with passion, his breath almost as ragged as hers. “Mia, I —”
She smiled, raising her hand to touch his face, tracing the line of his jaw, the curve of his lips. “No talking. Remember?”
He held her gaze for a moment, looking for something she wasn’t certain she could provide. But then he pulled her back into his arms, his mouth claiming hers again, his kiss an echo of things to come, his tongue thrusting possessively, robbing her of all rational thought.
She ran her hands along the hard muscles of his back and shoulders, then slipped her fingers inside his shirt to the smooth skin of chest. She’d touched him before. Slept with him before. But somehow here in the starlight it felt different. Maybe it was the situation. Maybe it was the man. Maybe it would all disappear with daylight.
But here, now, this was what she wanted.
She framed his face with her hands, kissing his eyes, then his nose, his ears and finally his mouth. Then slowly, as if she were savoring a gift, she undid the buttons of his shirt, sliding it off his shoulders and down his arms.
He reached for her, but she stepped back with a little smile and pulled her T-shirt over her head, her nipples beading in the cool night breeze. Running her hands slowly down her own body, she unzipped her pants and slid out of them, finally standing before him wearing nothing but starlight.
Sucking in a breath, he closed the distance between them, accepting what she was offering, his hot breath sending ripples of sensation coursing through her. His hands were warm against her skin as he caressed her shoulders and arms. Then he found her breasts, cupping them, his thumbs moving in slow, delicious circles.
Her nipples tightened in anticipation of the heat building between her thighs. She arched into him, wanting more, but he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. The moon had risen, the silvery sliver kissing the room with ghostly light.
Nick bent his head to kiss her as he laid her against the cool cotton of the sheets. After removing the rest of his clothes he joined her on the bed, pulling her into his lap so that her legs straddled his, his penis pressing against the soft curls between her thighs.
She threw back her head, moving rhythmically, rubbing against him, the friction and heat feeding the desire stretching taut between them. His fingers circled her nipples, alternately stroking and pulling, the combination threatening to send her over the edge.
With a moan, she arched her back, closing her eyes. His mouth closed around her breast, sucking and nipping as she writhed against him, her fingers threaded through his hair. With her nipple still held between his teeth, he slipped inside her, his thumb caressing while his fingers began to move, thrusting and stroking, teasing her, building the fire.
She shuddered, every nerve in her body craving release, but he moved again, easing her backward, until her head rested against the pillow. She rose in protest, but he only shook his head, reaching down to cup her bottom, bending his head to kiss the inside of her thigh.
Closing her eyes, she gave in to his ministrations, shivering as he tightened his hold, keeping her captive. His mouth caressed the sensitive folds of skin, then parted them to flick lightly against her heated center. She arched upward as his tongue thrust deep, then deeper still, his hands hard against her hips. In and out, over and over, his tongue driving her higher, until she was floating in a sea of sensation — buoyed with each stroke, each touch.
Then, just when she was certain that there could be nothing better, nothing more, he lifted his head, moving to pull her back into his lap. With his hands braced on both sides of her, he lifted her up and then slid her downward, impaling her with his heat.
She gasped as new and better sensations curled through her, leaving trails of quickly spreading fire. She placed her hands on his shoulders and began to move, sliding up and down, feeling him within her. She threw back her head, feeling his mouth on her breast. Up, down, up, down, the rhythm was intoxicating. Spirals of ecstasy began to whirl through her brain, enticing her to move faster, urging her to take him deeper — deeper.
There would be no turning back.
He was asking for parts of her she’d never shared with anyone, and she knew she was going to give in to him willingly. There was a rightness about this. A connection between them that couldn’t be denied.
Then there was nothing but the feel of him moving inside her and the pounding need for release. She reached for it, twining her fingers with his, sensation blotting out every other thought — until the heat inside her exploded into tangible joy, shudders shaking her body as she slowly drifted back, satiated beyond anything she could ever have imagined, content in the moment and the warmth of his body still joined with hers.
NICK CRADLED MIA’S BODY against his, feeling the rise and fall of her breathing, the soft silk of her hair splayed across his chest. Nothing in his life had prepared him for the emotions she brought out in him.
He wanted to protect her, to care for her, and most of all he wanted to possess her. It was a basic need, certainly — man wanting woman. But this was something more, something unexpected, and it scared the hell out of him.
“That was amazing,” Mia whispered, her voice still colored by passion. She pressed closer against him, little spasms of release still rippling through her. He felt his body respond, already wanting her again.
She recognized the movement and shifted, the motion taking him deeper, making him harder. Then she moved again, slowly sliding up and down. Her eyes darkening with renewed passion.
With a groan, he drove into her, his hands finding her hips, establishing a rhythm. She was so hot, so wet, and she took him so willingly. He leaned back, eyes closed, as they moved even faster.
His mouth found hers and his tongue thrust into her, wanting to feel her, to taste her. She met him eagerly, sparring with him, their kiss building in intensity as they continued to move, until there was nothing but passion — white-hot passion.
Consciously he slowed down, trying to hold on to his control, wanting it to be as good for her as he knew it was going to be for him. But Mia was having none of it, grasping him with impatient hands, urging him to go faster, meeting each of his thrusts with her own. Giving and taking until nothing mattered but the two of them bound together, moving faster and faster, until everything was colored with their ecstasy.
And in that moment he was certain he had found something precious, something he’d never find again. They’d crossed some sort of bridge, reaching the other side not as two people but as one.
He knew that the magic would end with the morning. Knew that reality held threats they might never overcome. But in the space of this moment, holding Mia close against his heart, Nick felt like he’d come home.
* * *
CHAPTER TWENTY
“YOU’RE NOT SLEEPING,” Nick said, propping himself up on one elbow.
“Too much on my mind, I guess.” Mia shifted the pillows so that she could see him better. “Actually, I was thinking about you.”
He waited, watching, the stillness between them making her hesitate. On the one hand, she’d never felt so connected to another person, but on the other she had no idea who he was — not really.
“I was thinking about your sister.”
“What about her?” His tone was neutral, but even in the dark she could feel the tension.
“Nothing, really,” she said, rolling onto her side. “It’s just that I was thinking about the computer and all the pictures of her. I should have made you get that instead of the sample. They were all you had left. And now they’re gone. I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault. And besides, it doesn’t matter. Not really.”
“Why?” Mia resisted the urge to reach for him, instinctively realizing it would be the wrong thing to do.
“Because I have no right to remember.” He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, his skin stretched tight over his jaw, his anger almost a palpable thing. “I killed her. I killed my sister.”
“There’s got to be more to it than that.” She sat up, clutching a pillow, searching for the right words. “I don’t know the circumstances but I do know that you’d never willingly hurt someone you love.”
