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Chapter 23: A monster in human clothes.
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Aegis Group Chapter 24: Bloody reunion.
A SCREAM RENT THE AIR.Travis stilled. He didn't even have to hold up his hand, everyone froze.The sound reverberated on the rocks, through the trees. It was almost impossible to tell where it came from, but he knew.That was Bliss.She was alive.For now."That way," Mason said."Wait, we don't know-""I do." Mason jabbed his finger to the south and east. Toward Cascade Lake. "I grew up tracking in the mountains. That way."Another scream, this time shorter, spurred them on.Mason took point, loping easily over the snow, kicking up a spray of white powder in his wake. Travis and Ethan flanked the kid to either side, keeping six to ten feet apart. The terrain was tricky, and the snow disguised roots and rocks that tried to trip them up.Adrenaline pushed Travis onward. His hands were near frozen, so he gripped his gun and the handle of his knife tighter."Oh my God," Bliss yelled.A man shouted incoherent words.Mason veered to their left, slowing his pace.
Aegis Group Chapter 25: Her protector.
BLISS PERCHED ON THE hospital bed, her hands gripping the thin blanket they'd given her. Her feet and fingers were still cold. No matter what anyone did, she couldn't seem to get warm.The nurse said she was still in shock, or something like that.At least the nurse had stopped talking to her and was going straight to Travis now.Travis.He'd rescued her.They hadn't said more than a dozen words to each other, but he hadn't left her side. Not for a single instant."Bliss?" Travis' hand rested on her shoulder, shaking her out of her deep well of thoughts."Hm?" She blinked at him. She'd missed something important, but for the life of her she couldn't recall what had been said."The doctor wants to keep you here to monitor you. I'd rather keep you close.""Yes," she said, cutting him off."Yes-what?""I want to stay with you."Travis meant safety. With him, there was no fear, no sense of dread. So long as he was there, everything would be okay.He's saved her.
Aegis Group Chapter 26: Safe in his arms. For now.
TRAVIS STARED AT THE map without seeing it. Every fiber of his body was acutely tuned in to the woman on the sofa.It was almost midnight. The local law enforcement were either out manning roadblocks or at home with their families, leaving the FBI, Travis, and Mason to keep watch over Bliss and formulate a plan for what came next.Some of them were keeping a little too close to her.Connor Mullins barked out a laugh at something Bliss said. Travis couldn't hear them. Not that he hadn't tried.She should be in bed, getting rest, instead of down here with the rest of them. Evidence and case details were everywhere. Why the hell were they subjecting her to this?Because she was now their best lead.Knowing the answer didn't placate him in the least.He wanted to bundle her up, lock her away, and keep her safe. But wasn't his involvement what got her here in the first place? If he'd made her stay put and gone in for Wendy on his own, Daniel would have fixated on him. Or split
Aegis Group Chapter 27: A Christmas nightmare.
BLISS' NOSE ITCHED, BUT she didn't dare move. It had to be early morning sometime. Already she could hear sounds below and the occasional door open or close on their floor. Any moment Travis would wake up, and they would have to face whatever today held in store for her.She hadn't slept as much as dozed off and on until her body just decided it was time to be awake. Though her dreams were uneasy, they hadn't terrorized her like before. A difference she attributed to Travis' presence.It was Christmas Day.Usually she would pack up her car and head to her parents' house for a busy morning of presents and baking. It didn't feel like the holidays anymore, though Travis had given her a present. Her freedom.Guilt gnawed at her. Out there, she hadn't believed he would save her, and he had. Then last night, she'd doubted him again when she allowed fear to cloud her judgment. It wasn't his fault Daniel was crazier than they thought. She'd allowed herself to be in the wrong place at t
Aegis Group Chapter 28: Unwanted advice.
TRAVIS THANKED THE NURSE and entered the ICU bay, Mason on his heels. Ethan's body was relaxed, his head lolling to one side at an angle that was bound to leave a crick."What the fuck are you doing here?" Ethan's words were slurred and quiet. The anesthesia hadn't worn off yet."Making sure they took the right leg." Travis reached over and prodded Ethan's left knee."You rat bastard. Stop." Ethan pushed Travis' hand away."Looks like they knew what they were doing." He stepped back and hooked his thumbs in his pockets.They'd been here a few times over the years. Sometimes they'd been in beds next to each other. Every time they'd pulled through."What'd the doc say?" Mason asked."Like I fucking know." Ethan was perhaps the grumpiest when he was hurt. His soon-to-be ex-wife had often commented on his inability to handle pain or a little direction. Over the years she'd lost the fondness for his grouchy behavior. Maybe Travis should have seen their split coming, but he did
Aegis Group Chapter 29: Home for the holidays is over-rated.
DANIEL DROPPED THE TOOL belt onto the bed. The right uniform, and no one cared what he was up to. Just went to show how stupid people were. The lot of them were only good for one thing: dying.He checked the camera feed he set up that morning. The camera didn't tell him more than who came and went at the FBI cabin headquarters, but at least he knew when certain members were there.Bliss hadn't set foot out of the building since she went in. He'd seen her through a few windows, enough to know the FBI hadn't spirited her away somewhere else. They were making this easy for him.By the end of the year he'd have Wendy and Bliss all to himself. And then he could get started. No one would find them, because they were all going to die.***BLISS CLUTCHED A PILLOW to her chest and tried to focus on the Christmas Day parade on the television. The FBI apparently didn't know how to take a day off and were already discussing routes of escape Daniel could have taken. Try as she might
Aegis Group Chapter 30: Holiday gifts.
TRAVIS GRABBED A SODA at random and a chocolate bar one of the officers had offered up. Bliss' tears were stuck on repeat in his mind, and he could still hear her trembling voice as she recounted every agonizing moment they'd been apart. He wanted to make all kinds of promises like she'd never be afraid again, that he'd never leave her, but those were irrational.What she needed now was time to pull herself together. Sweets were one good tool to help combat the drop in blood sugar.Jade entered the kitchen, her gaze on him. "She's upstairs. Give her a few."He nodded. Words were out of his power now. All he wanted to do was punch something. Preferably Daniel Campbell, but he'd settle for the punching bag downstairs."You aren't any use to her if you can't be calm." Jade pitched her voice low, for their ears alone."I am calm.""I tried talking to her, but she wasn't interested.""I imagine she's pretty talked out." He couldn't deny the satisfaction that it was him she tur
Aegis Group Chapter 31: Make love to me.
TRAVIS' EARS RANG WITH her request."Make love to me. I want to feel something besides fear and helplessness. Please." Her voice broke and she blinked a single tear."Shh." He cupped her cheek and wiped the tear away. "You never have to ask twice, darlin'. Stay right there."She could have asked him for anything, and he'd have broken a dozen laws just to make her happy. Pleasing her, stroking her body to orgasm was no trouble at all. He wasn't a man used to soft lovemaking, but for her he could be whatever she needed.He got up out of the bed and flipped the lock on the door with shaking hands. It wasn't much to keep anyone out, but if Jade or another agent came knocking it might give them pause before entering.Travis turned toward the bed and paused. The other night he'd been pushed by a sense of need so sharp and deep that it might have been a dream. This time, he wanted each moment filed away in his memory so that Bliss would always be part of him.She sat where he'd le
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