Page 13 of Too Lethal to Love
Kane cursed under his breath. The rest of the VIPER boys chimed in with equal vigor.
“He knows my name.” The man on the screen the bakery owner described as tall, dark, and sexy instead of big, evil, and scary knew everything about her. She whipped her head to the front door. “He knows where I live?” She wasn’t safe here. She hadn’t even been safe in her… “Oh, God. The network in my lab. It’s been down a lot lately.” She fixed her gaze on Edgar. “It wasn’t maintenance like we’d been told. The Diablos were trying to hack us. Did they breach our firewalls and get the formula?”
Her shoulders relaxed as he shook his head no.
“Thank God.”
“But they’ve amassed enough data to know the drug works. They’re scrambling to counter before it makes an impact on their operations.”
“They can’t get it.” She clasped her shaking hands under her chin as she looked at each super soldier in the room. “Triple X is on the FDA approval fast track. In a few days, it will be available to thousands of people in drug trials across the country. So many lives could be saved.”
Edgar nodded. “And that’s too many addicts to lose forthe cartel’s bottom line. Intel we recently uncovered indicates that the major players in the Mexican drug trade are in a race to get the Triple X formula. Maria Chavezhas set a midnight Christmas Eve deadline for her son and his team of enforcers to deliver it. Enrique is her only living child. She lost her twins when they were twelve years old. The loss reportedly hit the thirteen-year-old Enrique hard, and he became quite the mama’s boy. If his mother wants the formula, and the bragging rights that she got it first, he’ll go to any lengths to get it.”
Any lengths?She pressed her fingers against her lips to stifle a gasp. “Oh God, what if Chavez stole my cake to lure me outside? If I’d run out when I spotted my cake on the hood or hadn’t let the owner carry the new cake to the car, I might have been taken.” The terrifying what-if scenarios mushroomed up her throat like a nuclear blast. “And if Kane and Nic hadn’t secured my house, an enforcer from the world’s most feared drug cartel might have been waiting for me.”
Scarlett appeared at her side. “Breathe, Beth.”
“No.” Her voice hitched as more goose bumps exploded on her skin. “I can’t be a target for some sicko again.”
Scarlett linked her arm with Beth’s. “Let’s pivot from Enrique the Enforcer for a minute. I want to hear everything about this wonder drug you’ve been working on that will change millions of lives.”
Beth nodded and sniffed. Bless her bestie for the much-needed diversion. “Well, the chemical compound of…” Her heart rate slowed as she talked about Triple X. One glance at Kane had it racing again. Scarlett was the only one in the room who likely grasped much of what she was saying because of her scientific background, but Kane? The way he gazed at her, with those full lips partially open and a reverent look in his eyes, skyrocketed her pride and melted her heart.
God, that second bit had to cease.
He slid a bottle of water into her hands. “If you could explain all that to us, then you could explain it to the cartels. And much more if under duress.”
“Duress?” Her voice squeaked as his features shifted from awed admirer to no-nonsense warrior.
Edgar cleared his throat. “Enrique Chavez is known for extracting information in unsanctioned ways. His father, who was killed along with the twins in a skirmish with a rival cartel two decades ago, was a brutal bastard. Enrique’s mother is reportedly worse and raised him to show no mercy. If you’re on their radar for whatever reason, you’re in grave danger.”
An image of Jenna’s mutilated body slammed into Kane’s mind, but it wasn’t her lifeless eyes staring back. He spun Beth to face him. “Did you hear Edgar? Tell me you heard him.”
The stunned fear in her gaze assured him she understood.
He didn’t stop her when she turned away, but he kept his hold on her hip. Her body shook beneath his hand, but she was tough. She had to be tough if she’d held down a demanding job and completed her PhD while looking over her shoulder for the past two years. Pretending everything in her sparkly life was alright while she lived with the grief of losing her fiancé and the fear of a stalker—no, a murderer—reappearing took a lot of strength.
Strength his mother never had.
His own grief, decades old but still raw, submerged the hollow place in his chest. Closing his eyes, he tried to drown the impending memory, but it surfaced anyway.
“What do you mean you aren’t coming to my track meet? It’s the state championship.”
His mom stared at him from her bed, which hadn’t been made in weeks, through bloodshot eyes. “I’m sorry, honey. I’ll try and make the next one.”
He yanked on the hem of his team jacket and blinked back frustrated tears. “I’m a senior, Mom. This is your last chance to see me win gold and beat the school record.”
“I…” She looked away. “I just can’t do it without…” A tear slipped down her cheek as she pulled the neckline of his father’s Marine Corps sweatshirt up to her chin. “Gran and your sister will be there to cheer you on. Good luck, honey. I’m sorry.”
Kane opened his eyes and shook off the memory plagued with things he should have said, should have questioned, but didn’t. His gaze landed on Beth. Damn, he admired her for finding the mettle to put her emotions on hold and be there for the people she loved. Still, tonight’s events were a lot to take in.
Hell, it was a lot for him too. After the Mexico debrief, he’d caught a quick nap. Instead of his typical nightmares that alternated between memories like the one he’d just shut down and painful replays of the explosion that took his leg, he dreamed of Jenna. Her bloody face. Her last breath. Her final words.
No regrets.
Chris pulled Scarlett into him like his memories from Mexico created a need to be close to the woman he couldn’t live without. Flexing his super arm, he looked at Edgar. “Why would Chavez go through the trouble of stealing Beth’s cake when he could have simply abducted her?”
Beth leaned into Kane’s side. “And why target me? There are plenty of other research scientists with more knowledge. I’m the baby on the team since I was in accelerated programs that helped me complete my PhD earlier than others. Andwhy not go all the way to the top? Director Sable knows everything. I think she’s been with the agency since the invention of penicillin.”