Love, Encoded (Selected Evolution Series Book 1) Read online

  “I’m so cold, Nick.”

  “I know, honey. It’s shock, we’ll get you warm soon, I promise.”

  They crossed an expanse of pale-gold marble tiles, passed huge gilt-framed mirrors, works of art, glittering chandeliers and heavy wooden furniture before Marnia led them up a curving staircase and ushered them into a large room. A selection of clothes lay on the bed.

  “I’ll leave you to change,” she said and exited.

  “Do you want us to leave, Sarah?”

  “No!” she tightened her hand on Nick’s hip. “That is,” she flicked an uncertain glance to Adam then sheered away from his tight gaze, “unless you want to.”

  “Sarah.” Distraught torment shuddered through Adam’s voice.

  Her emotional control cracked wide open and tears flooded from her eyes.

  “Why won’t you touch me?” she whimpered. Anguish ripped through her and she doubled in pain despite Nick’s embrace. His arms wrapped around her, lifted her then he sat on the bed and hugged her close. Gut-wrenching sobs strangled her throat.

  “Angel, please.”

  The anxious plea penetrated her brain, but she couldn’t stop the outflow of terror. Her entire body shuddered and howled at the prospect of losing Adam’s respect and affection on top of the brutal horror of assault. Nick rocked her back and forth. Gasping breath suffocated in her chest, then Adam’s hand gently captured one of hers. For long moments his warm fingers stroked up and down her arm. She gulped, tried to maintain an even breath and eventually succeeded. Eyes stinging with hurt she turned to the man kneeling before her and searched his face in the dim light of the room.

  “I thought you didn’t want me to touch you,” Adam murmured.

  Shock reverberated through her. What? “Why?”

  “Back there,” his throat moved to a swallow, “when I held that . . . you looked at me with such disgust.”

  She blinked, puzzled. “No I didn’t.”

  “Yes, angel, you did.” He shook his head in a small, negative movement. “I can still see the expression on your face.”

  Oh, Adam. She reached out a hand and laid it over his. “That was directed at me.”

  A frown furrowed his strong brow. “What do you mean? Angel, you have done nothing to be ashamed of.”

  She drew in a deep breath, examined her hands then looked into his blue eyes. “I was . . . pleased by what you had done to him.”

  Understanding softened the savage control of his features. “Ah, I see.”

  She bit a tremble from her lower lip and plunged on. “So, you still . . . like me?”

  Adam rose on his knees and leaned towards her, resting his forehead gently against hers. His breath whispered over her face in a feather caress. “Angel, I love you.”

  Her heart stopped then filled with the hectic energy of profound emotion. Nick’s deep voice slipped into her ear.

  “That goes for me, too.”

  The strong warmth of their caring cocooned and comforted her. She sighed, and relaxed into Nick’s embrace. With their support, she could work her way through this.

  Nick hugged her. “Come on, honey, let’s get you dressed.”

  With resolute determination to face the future, she dragged herself from his lap, viewed her choice of clothing and grabbed some underwear, a pair of loose peddle-pushers and a large T-shirt. The daunting, solitary confines of the bathroom loomed before her. She twisted the clothing in her hands.

  “I . . . I’d like to take a shower.”

  “Of course, angel, we’ll wait here.”

  “Would you . . . would you wait here, in the bedroom, by the bathroom door?”

  Adam nodded. “As you wish.”

  Nick’s big hands clasped her shoulders as though they were made of spun glass and turned her to him. “Honey, no-one will ever harm you again. You have our promise.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, straightened her back, held the clothes to her chest and marched into the blue granite tiled ensuite. Her hands shook as she turned the stainless shower taps. She ripped the covering off a new soap and slipped under the warm flow of water then lathered and scrubbed until her body was raw. But it seemed no matter how much soap she used or how hard she rubbed, the memory of violence would not wash from her skin. She half growled, half howled in anger and distress and slumped against the shower wall.

  “Angel, are you alright?”

  “Baby?”

  The sound of her men’s voices soothed a calming wash over her torment and she managed to pull herself together. “Yes. I won’t be a minute.”

  “Take as long as you need, angel.”

  She stepped from the shower, rubbed herself dry, donned the borrowed clothes and opened the door. Nick and Adam turned to her. They’d scrounged a couple of blue, cotton T-shirts from somewhere and an enormous wave of reassurance surged through her as they offered the protection of their arms.

  She walked into their embrace, drawing strength from their comfort. Her emotional equilibrium tilted a little more into balance. She held their big, clean hands in hers and examined the abrasions on their knuckles.

  “Have the police been notified?”

  “Kane is taking care of it.”

  She nodded, brushing her thumbs across the back of their hands. “I don’t understand what this is about.”

  Adam tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His warm, callused fingers cupped her jaw and tilted her face to him. Reluctance seemed to worry his gaze.

  “We suspect we know why Barclese targeted you.”

  Something about his words seemed incomplete, as though the explanation was not straightforward, that the information withheld was of a disturbing nature. “Why does your friend Kane think I need protecting from someone else? Who were those people with Barclese?” A cloud of concerned speculation darkened his blue eyes. “What is it you’re not telling me?”

  “Sarah,” Nick almost groaned, “you’ve had an extremely rough day.”

  She turned her gaze to him. “Some of it was very nice.” She tipped her head to one side and considered him. “Do you think whatever it is you have to say will be worse than what I’ve been through?”

  Nick’s throat worked a swallow. “There were things we were going to tell you when the time was right.”

  Ah. “Things I’m not going to like?”

  “Some, maybe.”

  She drew in a deep breath. “Well, like it or not I think the time is at hand. I need to know what’s going on.”

  Nick and Adam straightened and each wrapped a gentle hold around her upper arms, as though afraid she would bolt from them. “We can work through this, honey.”

  “This has something to do with you working for the Foundation, hasn’t it?”

  Their mouths firmed into grim lines. “In a manner of speaking, yes,” Nick replied.

  I get the feeling I’m not going to like this. “Well, I’d rather have all my bad news in one day. Tell me.”

  Their gazes swept around the room. “Perhaps,” Adam said, “we should go somewhere more . . .”

  What? Comfortable? More comfortable than a plushly appointed bedroom? “Will that help?”

  He shrugged and a corner of his mouth compressed. “Probably not.”

  She marshalled her feelings and placed her palm on each of their chests. “I’ll make you a promise, okay? That however angry or upset I get, I won’t walk away.”

  They tugged her towards them, their grips tightening, eyes snapping with triumph. “Deal.”

  “Right, tell me your terrible secrets.”

  A knock sounded from the open bedroom door and Marnia stood in the doorway. Her gaze sought Nick and Adam’s.

  “Will you let me examine Sarah now?” she asked.

&nbs
p; Sarah didn’t object to the other woman’s assumption of Nick and Adam’s authority for her care. Indeed, some part of her was happy to relinquish the responsibility.

  “I won’t speak of anything other than her immediate medical issues,” Marnia assured.

  “Are you comfortable with that, baby?” Nick asked.

  She gave a resigned nod. “Sure. I’ve only got some bruising and a few grazes on my wrists.”

  Nick’s bottom jaw thrust out and Adam muttered, “I wish I’d finished the job before Kane interrupted.”

  They released her, leaned forward as though to bestow a kiss on each cheek then abruptly straightened.

  “It’s alright,” she said. “I’d like your kisses.”

  Their eyes narrowed with concern. “Are you sure?”

  “Definitely. I can do without my last memory of being kissed. Give me some new ones.”

  Growls erupted from their throats, then they bent to her and pressed firm lips to her temples. She closed her eyes and drank in the blessed pleasure of their gentle caresses. Warmth filled her heart and added some steel to her backbone. She raised her lids and smiled.

  “Thank you.”

  “We’ll leave you to Marnia, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  Marnia stepped into the room. “Go to the study. I’ll bring her there when we’re done.”

  With reassuring looks, Nick and Adam turned and left.

  “Right,” Marnia said. “Let’s have a look at you. Are you comfortable with me pushing your clothes aside so I can see any trauma?”

  Sarah nodded and stood still while Marnia skimmed a small, flat, black device over her body.

  “I expected you’d have wanted to do a rape kit before I had a shower.” Gentle fingers probed the back of her head. Ow. “I’m a bit tender there.”

  “Yes. I’m sorry. It’s just bruising, nothing to worry about.”

  Good. I can do without a crack in my skull.

  “A rape kit isn’t necessary,” Marnia continued and gestured with the black device. “This will provide all the information I need. Show me your wrists.”

  That’s interesting. Sarah held them out and Marnia’s lips pursed as she examined them. She stared off into a corner for a moment, as though debating something with herself, then muttered, “Stuff it.”

  From her pocket she pulled a slim, gold stylus, and aimed the tool at the broken skin of Sarah’s wrists. A broad, blue beam emitted from the instrument, playing gently over her injuries. Her skin and flesh tingled with soft warmth and before her eyes her wounds knitted.

  “Accelerated cellular regeneration. Impressive.” She eyed her blemish-less skin. “I wasn’t aware such technology was available.”

  Marnia’s gaze caught hers. “It isn’t.”

  Sarah stared at her for a moment. “Is this part of what Nick and Adam wish to tell me?”

  “It is.”

  Marnia straightened, returned the stylus to her pocket and gave her a long, thoughtful stare. She drew a sharp breath, seemed about to say something, hesitated, then moved away.

  “Come along,” she said. “I’ll get you back to Nick and Adam. I’m sure they’re wearing a track in the rug.”

  Marnia guided her through the tastefully decorated mansion and Sarah peered out a long, glass wall bordering a huge, open living area, to spectacular formal gardens and a stretch of brown water.

  “Is that the Brisbane River?” she asked.

  “Yes, the manor owns a fair expanse of riverfront land.”

  “A mansion seems an odd place for the headquarters of a business empire.”

  “It’s not the headquarters, exactly. This is the residence of the CEO of the Draken Foundation.”

  Marnia led her down a flight of stairs and through a heavy, dark wood door. Floor to ceiling plates of glass offered a view of a private courtyard. Lush tropical plants surrounded a pool complete with stone lion-head spewing water. Nick and Adam prowled over a dark red oriental rug before a black marble fireplace. They spun towards her, anxious gazes running over her face.

  “Would you like me to leave?” Marnia asked.

  Nick and Adam shared a glance then looked at the woman. “No. We might need your tail,” Nick said.

  Her what?

  Some inflection in Nick’s tone spelled the word tail, not tale. No, she must have misheard.

  Apparently unfazed by the cryptic remark, Marnia strode to the far side of the room and sank into a leather lounge.

  Adam’s warm fingers twined with Sarah’s.

  “Come and sit down, angel.”

  Why do I get the feeling I’m going to need to?

  Nick and Adam settled her into the comfort of a huge wing-backed chair, took a few steps back and stood before the fireplace. Their chests lifted to deep breaths. Their firm, full lips pressed into flat lines. They didn’t seem to know what to do with their hands. Facing down laser wielding attackers caused them no concern, but telling her something that might upset her freaked them out. Her heart warmed.

  “Perhaps,” she suggested quietly, “you could begin by telling me what it is that you do for the Foundation?”

  “Yes.” “Good idea.”

  She waited.

  “We’ve been trained as pilots,” Nick blurted.

  “For the ship to Mars?”

  Nick speared a glance at Marnia. The woman gave a slight nod.

  “For the ship that’s publicly being built for the Mars expedition,” he confirmed.

  Publicly?

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Marnia’s exclamation grumbled across the room. “Tell her.”

  Nick swallowed. “Our destination isn’t Mars.”

  Oh? “Where then?”

  “The Alpha Aquarii system.”

  A dreadful twist heaved through her heart. “You’re leaving me?”

  Nick and Adam leaped towards her. “No!” Adam’s fingers clasped her chin and tilted her head to meet their gazes. “It’s . . . complicated, but we’re not leaving your side. Ever.”

  Belief in their word settled the wretched prospect. How the heck they could pilot a ship to the star system of Sadalmelik and not leave her side would be a point for future debate.

  Hang on a minute! “A Aquarii is over five hundred light years away! How are you going to make it that far?”

  “That’s where you come in,” Marnia murmured.

  Sarah snapped her gaze to the woman. Pardon?

  Adam’s tormented sigh twisted her heartstrings. “This is so much harder than I envisaged,” he muttered.

  Nick crouched before her, rubbing his palms up and down her forearms.

  “Adam and I were sent to find you.”

  She stared into his jade green eyes, her mind racing. “For the Foundation.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why? Did they hear about the work I do for Paul?”

  A grimace flickered over his features. “In a manner of speaking yes. Honey,”—his lips twisted—“they knew of your innovative work and sent us to determine if you were one of theirs.”

  “I don’t follow you. One of whom? I’ve never worked for the Foundation.”

  Adam growled, stalked away, halted, came back. He dropped to his knees by Nick and stared up at her. Apprehension haunted his gaze. His warm hands slid over hers.

  “It’s like this, angel. Nick and I agreed to certain genetic enhancements provided by the Foundation that would permit us to be prepared for the rigors of deep space exploration. Part of our job while here on Earth included using one of those enhancements to discover and protect women like you. Women who . . .”

  A desperate sigh leaked out of him. His head dropped. Compassion flooded through her and she brushed her fingers through his
sandy hair.

  “Stop torturing yourself.” She transferred her gaze to Nick. “You too. Just come out and tell me. From the beginning. What are these enhancements? What do they help you do—and what do the Foundation want with me?”

  And then we’ll deal with the ramifications of your proposed destination. Adam lifted his head and his fingers tightened on hers.

  “Remember you promised not to walk away.”

  A shadow ghosted across her heart. What the heck have they done?

  She gave them a solemn nod and gazed squarely into his and Nick’s eyes. “I remember.”

  Nick pulled a deep breath then huffed it out. “Marnia and her team have advanced medical knowledge. We’ll get to the why later. To be accepted into the Foundation’s deep space exploration programme, we were expected to undergo genetic modifications to help us cope with events we might experience. We have greater strength and reflexes, our bodies are able to withstand grievous injures and heal themselves quickly. We have the ability to sense an immediate threat.”

  “That’s why you were able to carry me so far in the koala park.”

  “Yes.”

  “And why those laser burns didn’t incapacitate you.” They nodded. The scientist in her demanded to know how and why, but she pushed that aside to review at a later moment. “And this identifying me as something to do with the Foundation? What’s about that?”

  “They want to recruit you, angel.”

  Surprise and scorn widened her eyes. “They think I’d not only leave my brother, but work for the opposition?” She gave a mental snort. In a pig’s eye.

  Adam’s glance sheered away and his head lowered. “They have their reasons,” he murmured into her knees.