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.What the hell did they want with him?Or was it Danica they wanted?Something around here stunk.Something was.off.He should be relieved they’d been picked up by the good guys.But his uneasy gut feeling warned him that things weren’t what they seemed.The second the soldier came close enough, Raven stepped up to him and demanded, “What clinic?”“I’m not at liberty to—”“Then take us to someone who is at liberty to tell us what the hell is going down.”Danica had never seen this Jon Raven.She wasn’t the least bit afraid that his fingers were cutting off the circulation in her hand where he held it so tightly.It was the expression on his face that chilled her blood and made her fiercely grateful that look wasn’t focused on her.The soldier hesitated then nodded.“We’ll take you to Uncle Sam.”“That’ll do.For starters.”Flanked by half a dozen men, they walked to the first truck, and he helped her into the front seat, then slipped in beside her.His eyes, reflecting the dash lights, looked almost demonic in their intensity as the trucks moved smoothly, and surprisingly quietly, onto a dirt access road behind the palace.“What’s our destination, soldier?” He asked the driver.“I’m not at liberty—”“I’m going to liberate you with my fist in about ten seconds,” Jon stated.Too calmly, she thought.Deadly calm.“I’m not in the mood to screw around with you.”“Yes, sir,” the soldier replied.“I appreciate that, sir.But I have orders.”“Which are?” Danica asked, trying to angle her body in order to see more clearly and make out the painted face of the driver.Jon had his arm around her shoulders, pinning her to his side.She was hot and sweaty, and her body had gone from aching to numb.Up to this point, she’d been largely ignored by the soldiers.“Why are they so hell-bent on taking me to a doctor?”“Just a little while longer, ma’am.”Fifteen minutes or five hours later-Danica was so tired her head rested on Jon’s shoulder for most of the trip while she closed her eyes—they pulled up to a warehouse on the outskirts of town.Escorted by the armed soldiers, they went inside.The large doors shut behind them with an ominous thud.“What is this place?” Danica whispered; exhaustion and fear dragging at her body like a lead blanket as she glanced around.Ah man.I don’t like this.A chill of foreboding roughed the skin on her arms, and the hair on the back of her neck lifted.Don’t like it a lot.Clearly Jon felt the same way, because his fingers tightened in hers.A low hum filled the silence around the scrape of their shoes on the gritty cement floor.A few overhead lights coned golden pools into the darkness, but beyond their reach was thick blackness.The musty air smelled of dirt, new lumber, and oddly, antiseptic.There appeared to be nothing in the vast empty warehouse, but at the far end, a large, square box had been erected.It was oddly out of place.“We’ll ask him,” Jon said flatly, as a man in a dark suit emerged from a door on the side of the “box” letting out a wedge of brilliant light.A room?He strode toward them.Even to Danica’s inexperienced eye, the guy was every inch a soldier, although he wore no uniform, nor was he carrying a gun like the others.At least not one she could see.He came forward, hand extended to Jon, his eyes, however, were fixed on Danica.“Special-Agent-in-Charge Donovan.”“In charge of what?” Jon countered, not offering his hand.“For the moment, you.Please,” he began in a tone that somehow combined evasion and condescension, “come this way.Can I get you something to eat or drink while you wait?”“Wait for what?” Jon demanded, halting Dani’s automatic footsteps as she started following the man to.wherever.In a hurry, and clearly annoyed by the questions, he continued marching toward the prefabricated walls ahead, but turned to glance back.“Wait while Miss Cross is prepped for surgery.”SevenSurgery?” Danica repeated blankly at the same time Jon said, “Whoa! Say what?”Donovan glanced around, then slammed open the door with the flat of his hand.“In here.”“Here is just fine,” Danica said firmly, stopping on a dime.Jon’s fingers tightened around hers.“I’m not having any type of surgery, Mr.Donovan.” The soldiers behind them moved back at Special-Agent-in-Charge Donovan’s nod.Not here.Not now.Fear tasted bitter on her tongue.“It wasn’t an invitation, Miss Cross,” he said, voice low.“Not only is the surgery imperative, time is of the essence.”“Turn up your hearing aid, pal,” Jon snapped.“The lady just said No surgery.She’s already been checked out by the presi—”Donovan paused, turned, and spoke directly to Jon, which Danica found irritating as hell, since she was the one they were talking about opening up.“If you’ll come inside where we can be.private?”Sweat prickled in her hairline, and between her breasts, and her heart was going a mile a minute.“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, unequivocally, planting her feet.Donovan’s eyes showed compassion and an equal measure of annoyance.“Come with me, I’ll explain the gravity of your situation.”Gravity? Danica’s goosebumps got goosebumps.“Give us a minute.”Donovan nodded, then signaled the soldiers behind them to remain where they were.“We—you don’t have much time.” He marched into the room, leaving the door ajar.Danica grabbed Jon’s arm and they moved into the shadows.“What kind of surgery, for heaven’s sake? I walked in here.My arms work, nothing’s wrong with me.Oh, God, Jon.What’s going on?” she whispered, pressing a damp palm to her midriff.Her heartbeat hadn’t returned to its normal cadence since they’d left the palace.Now it throbbed painfully hard against her rib cage.What was Jon thinking as he glanced around so casually? What was going on behind his hooded gaze? His mouth looked grim, and he was holding so tightly to her forearm that his fingers were sure to leave bruises.A muscle twitched in his cheek.“There’s something really creepy about this.” Danica tried to swallow, but her spit had dried up hours ago.“This place.Donovan.” She absently rubbed a welt behind her ear, then all the insect bites all over her body started itching like crazy.She wanted to cry with frustration.She was scared.Really, really scared.Like Alice dropped down the rabbit hole, she had no idea what she’d stumbled into, only that whatever it was, was way beyond her comprehension.“I want out of here.Right now.”Jon wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close.She saw that he was back with her from wherever he’d just been.Thank God.“Yeah,” he whispered, cupping his palm briefly to her cheek.“I’m with you on the creep factor.”He rubbed his hand up and down her arm in a soothing gesture that made her even more nervous.Because, damn it, she could tell from his expression that he, too, was creeping out at this new development.She dropped her head to his chest with a thunk.“Oh, damn.I was hoping you’d tell me this whole thing didn’t freak you out as much as it does me.”“Sorry, sweetheart,” he said against her hair as he held her tightly against his chest.“There’s a whole lot of wrong going on here.Hang tough while I try to figure out how the hell we get out of this mess.”Danica wrapped both arms around his waist.“Speed-think
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