“I’m coming with you.”
He held up a hand. “You’re not armed. I’ll call you in once I know it’s clear. Please.”
She nodded reluctantly.
His pistol drawn, Patrick crossed the porch and entered. The interior was filled with a smoky haze, and a fire crackled in another part of the house. Thankfully, it seemed to be contained there for now. After wiping his watering eyes, Patrick noticed four bodies strewn across the floor. They wore black fatigues and military-style boots. He crouched next to each one and checked their vitals. Two were dead and two were alive but unconscious. None were armed, the blast having separated the men from their weapons.
He searched one of the dead men’s pockets and discovered a mobile phone. The plan was falling perfectly into place. Disable the enemy, then gather as much information as possible. He unlocked the phone then froze when he saw the image that appeared on the screen. What the…? It was his own face, an official photograph of some kind. His hair was long, just as it had been before he’d cut it all off.
He scrolled down and found information printed underneath:
Name: Patrick Zane Watson
Warning: Considered armed and extremely dangerous
Special Instructions: Kill on sight
Patrick Zane Watson. That’s me.
Patrick slipped the phone into his pocket. There was probably a treasure trove of data on the SIM card, but for now he needed to collect as many devices as possible. They could go through all of the information later.
As he moved to the next body, he heard a shuffling sound behind him. He turned and raised his pistol in one quick motion. A familiar silhouette stood at the back door.
He lowered his gun. “I told you to stay outside.”
Danielle took a few more steps into the room and pointed down the hall. “The fire is spreading. I got concerned.”
He’d been so focused on the bodies that he hadn’t noticed the crackling had grown louder. With the fire now closer, it was probably a good thing she was here. He could use her help in searching for more devices.
He gestured at the other three bodies. “Since you’re here, why don’t you—”
A shadow shifted behind Danielle. Something or someone was creeping toward her. Before Patrick could react, a dark figure sprang out of the smoke, clamped an arm around her throat, and raised a pistol to her temple. Patrick lifted his own weapon but didn’t dare risk a shot.
“Drop it!” the man shouted.
Patrick cursed himself for not binding up the two men who were still alive. One of them had apparently regained consciousness then used the cover of smoke to search for a pistol.
“I said drop it!” the man yelled.
There was nothing he could do, so Patrick tossed his weapon aside.
As the gun hit the floor, several things happened in quick succession. Danielle grabbed the man’s arm and flipped him over her shoulder with surprising strength and speed. The man fired his gun, but the round was buried harmlessly in the ceiling.
Before he could shoot again, Danielle lifted him into the air then let out a loud grunt as she flung him across the room. His body smashed into the wall and dropped to the floor, either unconscious or dead.
Patrick stood in shocked silence, scarcely able to believe what had just taken place. The man weighed well over two hundred pounds, and yet she’d flung him like a rag doll. There was no way someone her size could do that. It was physically impossible, and yet he’d seen it with his own eyes.
Danielle bent over, grabbed her knees, and sucked in air. Patrick couldn’t tell if it was because she was physically spent or because she was in shock. He came to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and confusion. “What… What was that?”
“You tell me.”
She shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. I just… It just happened. Adrenaline, maybe?”
A series of images flashed through Patrick’s mind. The secret facility hidden in the woods northwest of Paris. The mysterious reference to programming. The desperate chase by boat. The microchip buried in Danielle’s arm…
The microchip…
The last pieces of the puzzle snapped into place, and he finally understood what it all meant.
She seemed to sense something in his expression. “What?”
He hesitated, fearful of the impact of his words.
She stood up straight. “Patrick, what is it?”
He had no choice. She deserved an answer. “I know why you were being held. I know why we were being held.”
She grabbed his arm. “Why? Tell me.”
“They were doing something to your body… Experiments.”
“We know that. What kind of experiments?”
“Bioengineering.” He held her gaze and said, “They were manipulating your genes. You’re being changed, Danielle.”
Fear and confusion were etched on her face. “Changed into what?”
“You’re being turned into a weapon.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jia Huang lifted the binoculars to her eyes. She could see the house clearly from her place high in the linden tree. Tendrils of smoke snaked into the night sky, illuminated by a blazing fire that was quickly consuming the structure. As she watched, one of the inner walls crashed down, sending up a plume of ash and debris. She doubted there would be any survivors.
She let the binoculars fall to her chest. She had to admit the whole thing had been genius. The assault team was lured into the home then incinerated in one powerful blast.
Jia had followed the man and the girl into the valley earlier that afternoon. As the two approached the home, she had climbed a tree along the gravel drive, situating herself behind a clump of foliage about fifty feet up. From there, she had watched as the man surveyed the grounds. At one point, he came down the drive and stood about fifty yards away. His head had turned in her direction. Or had it just been her imagination? She couldn’t tell whether he had seen her or not, but the incident had rattled her.
The man had eventually returned to the house, only to come out later with the girl. What happened next was completely unexpected. The two walked to the backyard, where the man opened what looked like a hatch that was flush with the ground. He and the girl then disappeared down a set of stairs and closed the hatch, sealing themselves in. Jia didn’t know what they were doing, but it was clear something was about to go down.
Her instincts had been right. A half hour later, two men had slipped down the gravel drive at dusk. Despite their stealthy approach, Jia had easily followed their movements from her hidden perch. They were part of the hit team from the research facility, the same group that had bungled two assaults. Jia smiled. The idiots had walked right into the trap, which would make the rest of her job that much easier.
Movement in the distance drew her back to the present. Two figures came around the side of the house. Jia lifted her binoculars and zoomed in on the pair. As she’d expected, it was the man and the girl. They passed through the front gate and started down the gravel drive. In a minute or two, they would pass under her.
Their voices carried through the night air. Jia’s English was good, so she leaned forward to see whether she could hear what they were saying. Unfortunately, the loud crackle from the fire muffled their words.
As the two drew near the tree, the man’s head turned in her direction. Jia froze in place. Could he see her?
Moving slowly, she slid her fingers around the grip of the Beretta 92FS tucked into her waistband. Her shooting skills were superb, so she’d have no problem placing two bullets in his chest if she needed to. But eventually he faced forward again as the two continued walking.