The Mercenary Page 27

  “Hi,” she greeted, trying to act casual.

  Adam and Eddie both returned the greeting but Doug didn’t seem himself at all, behaving in a very strange manner. He lay plastered against the back of the seat as though he wanted to sink right into it, his eyes screwed closed. Under his breath he counted to twenty and as soon as he got there, he started right back at the beginning and repeated it.

  “Danny had to get there early. Official kind of stuff,” Eddie explained.

  “Your dress is beautiful,” Adam said from the front passenger seat Jodie could tell he wanted to alleviate the tension in the vehicle. “You look like a princess.”

  “I’ll bet she is a princess.” Eddie grinned, flashing Jodie a wink before turning his eyes back to the road.

  Jodie blushed a little, half her attention staying on what Eddie and Adam were saying, but the rest was on Doug. “Are you okay?” She asked as he began another numerical repetition.

  When he didn’t answer and just kept counting, she whirled around to face the front again, eyes seeking Adam.

  “What is he doing, what’s wrong with him?”

  “Doug is agoraphobic,” Adam answered. “He’s taken some meds but it’s still hard for him to be outside the house.”

  Jodie’s eyes widened in alarm, though she sucked up all the discomfort as fast as she could and reached for his hand. Doug flinched as he felt her touch, but didn’t open his eyes. His voice trailed off into a moment of silence as his fingers curled upward, squeezing her hand. Clutching it tight, he began again at zero, the rhythmic rise and fall of his tone the only sound as they travelled.

  Parking in a side street, they used the back entrance to the club and waited for Rufus to open the door. Impeccably dressed in a dark grey suit, he cleaned up well even if he did look uncomfortable. His serious expression held firm as he stepped back to let them in. Jodie had no idea what Lancaster had planned, but she could tell how nervous the guys in the Unit were. On display in front of Head Office and all the new recruits, they wanted to make a good impression. Then there was Jodie... she didn’t quite know if she fit in around it all.

  Though they got there fifteen minutes early, they were still the last to arrive. She didn’t feel so happy about that. It meant every gaze in the room followed them as they walked in. As she felt the weight of so many eyes upon her, Jodie gulped in a breath. It almost seemed as though they’d turned up late. What if that had been intentional, what if Danny had decided to parade her in front of everyone like some trophy? Nooo I’m being insane she tried to tell herself, but it didn’t present a very convincing argument.

  A tall, broad shouldered man approached them just a few feet into the room. His expensive tailored suit looked picture perfect and not a single greying hair on his head dared stray out of place. Though older, there remained an air of tenacity about him. As he gazed at her, his distinguished features drawing into a smile with all sorts of hidden implications, Jodie knew that this had to be General Lancaster.

  When Eddie made the introductions, Lancaster startled Jodie by embracing her and kissing her on each cheek. A few tendrils of power snaked across her face. The general was Therian and he wanted Jodie to know it. Such an intimate greeting by a complete stranger felt awkward and she could feel herself flushing before he’d even had the chance to speak.

  “It is good to finally meet you, Jodie.” He said.

  Jodie had expected him to sound British like Danny, so his South African accent surprised her. Interesting... Jodie had so many sudden questions and no chance of getting answers. Glancing across the room her eyes settled on Danny talking to a group of very well dressed and important looking people. As if sensing her gaze upon him, he looked up and smiled. Giving her a wave, he went right back to the conversation he’d been having.

  Why is he all the way over there? Why doesn’t he come over here to say hello? Jodie didn’t like it at all. Instincts started kicking in and she began to worry, something seemed wrong. Having no idea what might have been spurring on such feelings unnerved her.

  Eddie took her hand to lead her over to one of the five long tables in the center of the room. He pulled out a chair for her, sitting down in the adjacent seat. Rufus sat on the other side and made a small fuss of repositioning his chair so that he could sit closer to Jodie. What the hell?

  Other people began to sit down too, the people closest to Jodie from Head Office, twelve men and five women. The other end of her table soon filled with the remaining members of the Urewera Unit. At a smaller table with the people he’d been talking to earlier, Danny could not have sat further away. What on earth is going on? Jodie looked down the line of guys she thought she’d started to belong among and none seemed the slightest bit surprised or concerned. What kind of dinner is this?

  An assortment of people occupied the other tables, all large well-built guys with attitude who looked like they’d walked right out of the nearest army base. Though Jodie knew that these were some of the reinforcements Mark had spoken of, she couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact with any of them. Moreover, she didn’t feel the least bit reassured by their presence.

  General Lancaster stepped up onto the makeshift stage and strode over to the podium in the center. Switching on the microphone and clearing his throat, he prepared to address the room. Jodie stole a quick glance at Eddie, who noticed and reached for her hand under the table. Holding hands with Eddie felt both weird and wrong. She knew that he wanted to reassure her but the more effort he put in, the more worried she became.

  The general welcomed everyone and introduced the ISIC officials. As their names were called each stood up in turn, all from Danny’s table. Lancaster talked a little about the local situation, and then he called all eight members of the Urewera Unit up onto the stage. They each introduced themselves, giving their animal and their rank. They started in reverse order, Leon first and then the medicated Doug. Adam came next, Jarvis was the first of the alphas, followed by Rufus and Eddie. Jodie had expected Eddie to outrank everyone with his Royal blood, but seemed that some clans just had more power than others.

  Also included in the short speeches were an agent name and a number. It seemed a very strange introduction and Jodie knew there had to be a deeper meaning to it all. Doug had the smallest number claiming to count two globes. What the hell is a globe?

  After Eddie who counted eighteen, and Rufus who counted twenty-seven, came Mark. By the time he reached the podium, Eddie and Rufus had seated themselves again. Adjusting the microphone down to his height, Mark introduced himself.

  “I am Lieutenant Mark Dion, also known as The Bloodhound. I claim Kodiak bear, alpha status. I’ve served ISIC for twelve years and I count sixty-seven globes.”

  Sixty-seven was much higher than twenty seven or eighteen and the new recruits showed their approval with a round of loud applause. It seemed that his reputation had preceded him, for they’d started to look impressed as soon as he’d mentioned his agent name.

  Danny came last, outranking the others. He’d always had dominance at the fortress, but the Unit functioned like a family, treating each other like equals. For some reason Jodie hadn’t expected him to be the one in charge. Her eyes would not stray as Danny strode toward the stage. His glossy caramel hair had been neatly braided and the blue silk shirt under his charcoal suit drew even more attention to his eyes than usual. For the first time they didn’t have a mesmerizing effect on Jodie.

  “My name is Captain Daniel Archer and I am known as the Mercenary.”

  At this point a murmur went through the crowd as though nobody could believe this beautiful and harmless looking man could be that particular agent. When the fuss had died down Danny looked at Jodie, meeting her eyes at last. The cold truth of all that Danny had become, reflected back from his gaze and it took her breath away. Not a single hint of emotion lurked beyond those eyes, the warmth he had shown her gone completely.

  “I am the Mercenary, I claim snow leopard and Siberian tiger, alpha status. I ha
ve served ISIC for eleven years, and I count one hundred and twenty-eight globes.” Little expression remained on his face as he finished, returning to his table in silence.

  Every single person in the room stood and applauded. The words went around and around in Jodie’s head. She knew that Mark possessed exceptional tracking skills, his title being the Bloodhound. Rufus had been dubbed the Butcher, Jodie had seen his knives and they didn’t need any further explanation. If Danny was the Mercenary, did that mean that he’d killed a hundred and twenty eight people? Is that what ‘globes’ meant? The mind boggled.

  At his fancied up official table, Danny accepted the compliments and praise being given to him. Jodie fumed as she watched on, Danny had said he planned to tell General Lancaster that they were in a relationship. What kind of couple ignored each other at events such as this? What if he’d been told he couldn’t see her anymore, would he listen? Jodie couldn’t imagine having him in her life without being his lover. “Jodie.” Eddie said briskly from her left.

  “Huh?” Blushing again, she knew that she’d been behaving like a prized idiot.

  “Do you want chicken or fish?”

  “Chicken... or fish...” Jodie echoed. She couldn’t make that kind of decision with so much else on her mind.

  “Give her the chicken,” Eddie told the waiter and turned to Jodie again. In a low voice he continued. “Are you alright? Danny worried you might not take the introductions well, we had to do it that way babe, to assert our authority before we work with the new recruits.”

  “Globes are deaths aren’t they?” Jodie couldn’t stop hearing the sound of the applause when Danny had declared a hundred and twenty eight globes. “How can that be something to be proud of?”

  “We don’t celebrate the lives lost, we celebrate the skill required to achieve it. We feel proud that we’ve survived that many battles, but in private at home, we mourn the loss of life. We hang the globes on the wall to remind us of what we have done, then we pray for forgiveness.”

  Jodie remembered the beads in the living room. She’d wondered at the time why some were short while others were so long. She’d wondered why eight men would hang beads on the wall at all. Chewing her lip, Jodie tried to wrap her head around it all.

  Eddie signaled another waiter and ordered some drinks. His behavior would have been on par with a date, except that he wasn’t her date. He reached for Jodie’s hand under the table again. She wanted to resist, but also didn’t want anyone else at the table to know just how insecure and confused she felt. It should be Danny making sure I’m ok, why is it not Danny?

  On the other side of Jodie, Rufus had been talking to Mark. He turned just as Eddie took her hand and the words died on his lips, he met Eddie’s eyes and they exchanged a ‘look’. Without any sort of forewarning Rufus grabbed her other hand. Excuse me? Jodie looked at Rufus, puzzled.

  “We’ll explain later.” He murmured.

  Jodie had never heard Rufus use such a gentle voice before. Was that an undertone of regret she’d heard from the toughest guy she knew? Rufus didn’t seem like the holding hands type of man.

  “You weren’t part of the introductions.”

  Across the table, the woman from Head Office hadn’t spoken a word until now. Jodie found her abrupt tone more than a little intimidating, the strength in her aura of power pushed at Jodie as the woman threw her an expectant gaze. Jodie had no idea what to say to someone like that, so she looked down at her lap. As her eyes fell on the large dark hands protectively entwined with her own, Jodie sucked in a breath and tried to find somewhere else to park her gaze.

  “She must be the special feature,” chuckled the man sitting next to Ms. Intimidating.

  “What does he mean?” Jodie asked as she gave Eddie a panicked look.

  “He means special guest.” Eddie replied, giving the man an instant icy stare.

  Under different circumstances, sitting between Eddie and Rufus would offer security but Jodie didn’t feel the least bit safe. Relief came when their drinks arrived a short time after that and she realized Eddie had ordered her a glass of white wine. Despite not being a big wine drinker Jodie downed the whole glass in one go.

  “Right then,” said Eddie without batting an eyelid. “You need this more than I do.” He placed his own glass in front of her.

  “Oh.” Jodie’s cheeks pinked again. She couldn’t have made a worse impression on Head Office, everything she said or did only seemed to make it worse. “I’m sorry I’m not myself tonight.”

  The woman opposite Jodie let out a scathing laugh. “I wouldn’t be either dear.”

  Jodie recoiled though no further comments were made. It took her several seconds to compose herself and by this time the waiters had begun bringing out plates of food. Eddie and Rufus had to let go of her hands to eat their meals. Knowing how nervous she had grown, they couldn’t stop stealing glances at her. Their protective nature should have assured her, but if anything it made her even more concerned about what else might be going on.

  After the meal, when all the dishes had been cleared away, General Lancaster approached the podium again, announcing the Urewera Unit had been working on a special project. Proceeding to describe the situation with Luke he told it all, leaving nothing out.

  “Jodie, will you please join me to greet our guests tonight?” General Lancaster smiled at her.

  Eddie and Rufus tensed at once and dropped her hands.

  “Go,” growled Eddie.

  His tone startled Jodie and she shrank back as she withdrew her fingers from his. Her eyes sought out Rufus but he wouldn’t look at her either. Forcing herself to move at a leisurely pace, she arose and pushed aside her chair. Trying to ignore the inner monologue telling her to flee and fighting not to react to the hundred or so pairs of eyes upon her, she walked toward the general. He extended a hand and helped her onto the stage.

  A spark of static electricity passed between them and Jodie’s eyes widened as she looked at him with uncertainty. “This is Jodie Fletcher, the Lycan-Therian cross is her brother. You may not sense her power yet as she is exceptional at guarding, tonight however I intend to show you what you will be fighting for. You will see why so much focus has been placed on this region and this Unit.”

  Jodie knew her expression would be one of bewilderment, she had no idea what the man spoke about and yet he expected her to stand there and smile in agreement. Something is wrong. Jodie felt like she was about to walk into some kind of trap and it took everything she had not to run away. Jodie had never felt more like an object instead of a person, she didn’t want this sort of attention. Something is wrong!

  IT TOOK EVERY OUNCE of concentration for Danny to keep his mask of calm. As if it wasn’t bad enough that Lancaster had insisted on keeping him and Jodie separated for the dinner, now he had to parade her around up on that stage like a dog in a damned pet show. Inside, Danny seethed.

  She’s my Eros, damn it! She should have a position of honor at my side. It should have been me holding her hand to reassure her, not Eddie and Rufus.

  Danny had seen Jodie’s reaction to his introduction, he’d noticed Eddie and Rufus take her hands to calm her. God, he just wanted to talk to her, tell her it would be okay.

  Her gaze met with his and the hurt in her eyes felt like a kick in the teeth. She was upset with him and hell if he didn’t feel as though he’d earned that. Danny wished he’d refused Lancaster’s order that Jodie sit with the guys, what reason could he possibly have for keeping their Eros status a secret? What did it matter if Head Office or the new recruits knew?

  Lancaster kept talking but Danny had stopped paying attention, far more concerned with the fact Jodie’s beast had started to rise. His eyes went wide with alarm as he watched her, Jodie didn’t seem to have noticed yet but surely Lancaster could see what had begun to happen? Why didn’t he just let her sit back down before she – All of a sudden Danny figured it out, feeling the stirrings of Lancaster’s power a millisecond later. No, hell no.
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  Danny had his jacket half off before he’d even got to his feet. The strange looks from the occupants of his table were lost upon him as he kicked off one shoe and then the other. Shit, this is taking too long, I don’t have time to undress! Furious with the General, Danny called forth his leopard, burst out of his clothes and bounded toward the stage as fast as his legs would carry him.

  DANNY CAME RIGHT AT Jodie, but until the last moment she assumed he would stop in time. By the time she realized, the opportunity to get out of his path had gone. The impact knocked her backward as she hit the floor hard, all the air went out of her lungs in a whoosh and for a moment Jodie couldn’t breathe. Licking her bare shoulders and neck, he nuzzled her with his big furry head, emitting a soft growl. What on earth is he doing?

  Scrambling around on the floor and trying to get up, Jodie couldn’t believe it. So startled by the public display of affection, she gasped as he continued the unwelcome greeting. Looming over her he continued to lick at her bare skin and though Danny’s claws were retracted, he still managed to tear the dress.

  The burning sensation grew in her chest as Jodie felt her own beast rising. Damn it, doesn’t he realize what is going happen? Of course he does... Jodie felt sick to her stomach. This had been carefully orchestrated, her kitty would reveal herself for the first time in front of a room full of strangers and she couldn’t do a thing. Nooo, make it stop, please make it go away.

  Dread consumed her. Jodie wanted to cry as the prickling sensation began to take hold, though she begged for Danny to stop, her pleas were in vain. Jodie closed her eyes, unable to look at him while her body shook with the anticipation of what had yet to come. Her heart rate sped up to the point where she feared it would be too much to bear, seeming so loud that the whole room must have been able to hear it. Her body temperature soared and her back arched as Jodie writhed around on the floor. She cried out as her leopard tried to break free, still resisting the inevitable.