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Clay felt Rudy slowly sag in the circle of his arms and glanced down at Rudy’s face. He was sound asleep. “Poor baby,” Clay murmured, pressing a kiss to Rudy’s forehead. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to sleep for long. According to the medic, the base was only about twenty minutes away.
“Thank you.”
Clay looked up.
“Thank you,” repeated one of the smaller men across from him, his eyes shiny. “For rescuing us. The guard told me I had been sold to a billionaire in Germany. He laughed when he told me I wouldn’t last long in the Herr’s loving embrace.” The man shivered.
“The Feds will take care of him and all the others. You have nothing to worry about anymore.”
The man dropped his gaze and a tear rolled down his cheek.
“Hey, Joel. It’s over, man.” One of the others slung his arm over Joel’s shoulders as he continued to shed tears.
The man on the other side of Joel also wrapped an arm around Joel’s shoulders. The three of them held each other close. One of the large men awkwardly made his way across the rocking truck over to them and dropped to his knees before them. He rested his arms on Joel’s knees which Clay could tell startled Joel. He stared at the big man as he gripped the hands of the two beside Joel. The other two alpha types joined the one on his knees. The six men held on to each other, their ordeal turning strangers into brothers. Clay was familiar with that feeling. After a mission, he and the other men would often just sit together. A hand would find its way to a knee, or an arm until they were all touching, just making sure they were really still alive.
It was a beautiful thing to watch.
“I think they have just begun the healing process,” Rudy murmured softly.
“You’re awake?”
He gave a slight nod against Clay’s chest.
“The rocking of the truck woke me. For a minute, I thought I was still in that trailer. They kept us in the dark, didn’t feed or give us anything to drink for the entire drive.”
Clay tightened his hold on Rudy, pulling him up and onto his lap. “You’re safe now, babe.”
Rudy clutched at Clay almost as if he would crawl under Clay’s skin and stay there, if he could. Clay understood trauma and PTSD. He would help his mate and if it turned out that he wasn’t enough, he knew a great doctor that Rudy could go to. He watched the men across from them. He would recommend his doctor to all of them.
The truck slowed and finally stopped. The back was flipped aside, the gate lowered, and the medic rose to his feet.
“Everyone, please follow me,” he called before smoothly jumping down. He and another soldier helped everyone get down off the truck.
Glancing around, it was easy to tell they were on a military installation. As much as Clay wanted to hold onto Rudy, he felt that it wouldn’t be a good idea here. But then Rudy slid his hand into Clay’s and threaded their fingers together. There was no way Clay would release him now. If anyone gave them grief for being gay, then his snow leopard would have to get up close and personal with them.
They followed the medic towards one of the buildings and once inside they went to a large room that resembled a store, obviously the base’s PX. At the back was a counter with three soldiers standing at the ready behind it, waiting for them.
They formed into a line and one at a time they approached the counter. The freed captives were asked what size they were before being handed a toiletries kit, a washcloth, towel and a bag which they were told contained two pairs of underwear, sweatpants, a T-shirt and loafers to replace the flip flops.
“This way, gentlemen,” the medic directed them once they each had their bags in their arms.
They trailed after him down another corridor, out of the building and into another one across an open area.
“We only have a limited number of guest accommodations; so unfortunately, you will have to double up and share a room.”
Rudy glanced up at Clay with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes before pointing a thumb in Clay’s direction. “I’ll take him. He looks like he doesn’t snore.”
“Brat.” Clay nudged him with his hip.
A couple of the guys snickered at them while the rest knowingly smiled. The medic looked around at the men in confusion. Shrugging, he opened the first door on the right and waved them inside. There were two twin beds with a nightstand between them. A small dresser sat in the corner with a phone on it.
“The showers and toilets are just down the hall, and yes, they are shared facilities. When you go home tomorrow, please leave the towels in the hamper located just inside the door and the blankets in the rooms. The clothes and toiletries you are welcome to keep.” The medic glanced at his watch. “I’ll be back to collect you all for supper. You have approximately two hours to rest or shower until then. Feel free to use the phone to call whoever you want. Press nine for an outside line and don’t worry about long distance charges.”
Clay and Rudy both thanked him and entered the room. The medic closed the door behind them giving them the first privacy they had since before Rudy was kidnapped. He desperately wanted to claim his mate again but was hesitant because of the ordeal Rudy had endured. Would it be too much too fast? It was selfish to put his own desires before Rudy’s needs. As hard as it was, as hard as he was, Clay would wait.
Rudy dropped his bags onto one of the beds and reached for the phone. He quickly dialed home, and Clay could hear Rudy’s grandfather answer on the first ring. The kids were fine, and everyone was overjoyed that both Rudy and Clay were safe. Clay sat beside him, making soothing circles with his hand on Rudy’s back. After Rudy hung up, he leaned into Clay, clutching at him and Clay let Rudy absorb strength from him. A couple of minutes later, Rudy gave him a watery smile.
“I’m okay now.”
“You sure, baby?”
“Yeah.” He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand and cleared his throat. “Let’s see what’s in the bags, shall we?”
He opened his toiletries bag, and pulled items out of it, one by one. “One bottle of shampoo, one comb, one bottle of conditioner, one body wash, a razor, shaving cream. Well, now. What have we here?”
“What did you find?” Although Clay had a pretty good idea what Rudy had discovered from the smirk on his face. All soldiers, male or female, were issued certain supplies, necessary supplies.
Opening his palm, Rudy revealed a bottle of lube and a strip of condoms. And there it was—the certain supplies that were standard issue to each and every soldier regardless of sex.
“Hmmm, we don’t need the condoms but the lube?” Rudy lifted his gaze to Clay and licked his lips, leaving them glistening. Clay shuddered as his need threatened to overwhelm him. Rudy’s breathing increased, and his eyes became heated as he lowered his gaze to the obvious bulge in Clay’s blanket.
Dropping the blanket he had tied around him onto the floor, Clay reached out a hand. “Come here, my love. I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” Gracefully, Rudy rose to his feet, taking Clay’s hand and abandoning his own blanket on the bed behind him. Clay drew Rudy up against his body, his heated skin burning every place they touched as Rudy molded himself to Clay.
His baby was hard, hot and hard for him. Clay traced Rudy’s cheek then gently gripped his jaw as he lowered his head to tenderly kiss his mate. He could feel Rudy snake his arms around his body, his hands splayed against Clay’s back, fingers pressing into his skin. The taste and feel of Rudy’s lips was intoxicating and Clay couldn’t get enough. Growling, he nibbled and licked, deepening the kiss and crushing Rudy to him. Rudy opened to him with a groan and allowed him into his mouth, tongues winding sensually around each other.
Clay could feel his cock drool pre-cum in his excitement to have his mate back in his arms. He could feel Rudy leaving his own trail of wetness against his hip as he ground his groin into Clay.
Clay needed to reconnect with his mate. To have his mate hold him, surround him and give his mate as much pleasure as his mate gave him. All his instincts screamed at him to claim his mate. It had been too long.
“Baby, I need...” Clay whispered against Rudy’s lips.
“Me, too. Claim me again. Now. I can’t wait any longer.”
Clay backed Rudy up until his legs hit the bed directly behind him and he could lay Rudy down upon it. There wasn’t a lot of room, but Clay didn’t care, they would make it work. Rudy spread his legs, so Clay could settle between his thighs. Clay slid his arms under Rudy’s shoulders and gripped him to hold him snug against him. He captured Rudy’s lips again and flexed his hips, swallowing Rudy’s groan as their cocks rubbed deliciously together.
“Where did you put the lube, baby?”
Rudy lifted a hand, the bottle rested in his palm. Clay smiled and took it from him, the bottle warm from Rudy’s tight grasp. Clay ran his thumbnail through the plastic seal and popped the cap. He changed his position slightly to allow him to squeeze some of the slick onto one hand.
He ran his finger around Rudy’s pucker and inserted the tip of a finger into him. Rudy’s cock was right in front of his face and he couldn’t resist the temptation. Clay licked the crown, gathering the pre-cum beading there onto his tongue. Sighing, Rudy threaded his fingers through Clay’s short hair.
“Mmm.” Clay hummed at his mate’s flavor. He pushed his tongue into Rudy’s slit to gather more as he drove his finger further into Rudy. His muscles loosened and accepted the intrusion. Clay moved his finger around further opening his mate up for him. Clay wrapped his mouth completely around the head of Rudy’s cock as he inserted another finger into Rudy’s channel.
“Ugnh,” Rudy loudly grunted. His hips jerked, shoving his cock further into Clay’s mouth and down his throat. Clay backed up a little bit so he could breathe as he pleasured Rudy and added a third finger deep into his mate’s body.
Rudy shouted Clay’s name as he rubbed Rudy’s prostate. Clay couldn’t help smiling. Anyone in the hall would know what they were up to.
“More baby, please,” Rudy begged, his body writhing under Clay. “Now. Inside me. Now.” The last word was a desperate whine.
Pulling his fingers free, Clay slicked up his cock and held it to Rudy’s pucker. Rudy lifted his legs and Clay nudged his way past Rudy’s stretched muscles until he was inside the most amazing heat. Steadily, inch by inch, Clay eased inside Rudy’s silken channel until his balls rested against Rudy’s ass. He paused to let Rudy grow accustomed to him.
Rudy lowered his legs and encircled Clay’s waist, locking his ankles together. “Move,” he demanded, prodding Clay with his heels and Clay was more than happy to obey his mate.
He began a punishing rhythm, too desperate to go slow. The bond was wide open between them, the feedback loop driving their passion higher and higher. Rudy made sexy whimpering noises as he tossed his head back and forth, his hands clutching Clay’s biceps. There was nothing like making love to his True Mate. Far more than a melding of bodies, it was a melding of souls.
Clay could feel the familiar fire burning through him and he dropped himself down, punching his canines through Rudy’s skin, biting through his mating mark on Rudy’s shoulder. He could feel Rudy’s tiny mating teeth pierce the smaller mark on his own shoulder. He snarled with Rudy’s flesh still carefully held between his teeth as his orgasm swept over him. His balls pumped his seed deep into his mate’s channel as Rudy emptied between them coating both of their stomachs. Panting hard, Clay released Rudy’s shoulder and licked the mark closed. He felt Rudy do the same. Keeping his weight off Rudy as he rested his forehead against Rudy’s, he waited for his heart and breathing to calm down.
“That was intense.” Rudy gulped air below him.
“Yup.” The bond felt stronger, tighter and Clay’s heart felt lighter. Everything was right in his world once again.
After a few minutes, Rudy rubbed his nose against Clay’s. “We’d better get into that shower before that guy comes back.”
“I know. But you feel so good, I don’t want to move.” Clay dropped a kiss to Rudy’s lips. “How about we just stay here and make love all night?” he asked in a deep growl.
Rudy shivered under him. “I want that, but I stink and I’m a little bit hungry.”
Clay suddenly felt ashamed. He had forgotten to take care of his mate. Now that the bond was humming happily between then, that would never do.
Slowly, he slipped from Rudy’s body, sighing as he did so. Rising to his feet, he held out his hand and helped Rudy to his. They grabbed the washcloths and towels, shampoo, body wash, shaving cream and razors.
Rudy pointed to the bag of clothes. “Should we take that with us?”
“No. We’ll wrap the towels around our waists and drop them off after we are dressed, or tomorrow. We may need them later.” He winked.
“Baby, I love the way you think.” Grinning, Rudy wrapped the towel around himself and tucked the end against his belly as Clay did the same.
“Why, thank you, love of my life.” He held out his elbow and Rudy slid his arm through it.
With eyes only for each other, they left their room and walked down the hall to the facilities. Clay absently noted that the showers were empty, but the floors were wet, so they had been used. After hanging up their towels on the hooks on the wall, Clay adjusted the water temperature at the first shower while Rudy squirted body wash into the washcloth. He dampened it, working the gel into a nice lather but instead of cleaning himself, he stepped up close to Clay and began to wash his chest, running the cloth gently over his pectorals and down his stomach.
“I love your body,” Rudy murmured as he carefully moved the cloth over Clay’s abdomen.
Clay gripped Rudy’s head and kissed him before picking up his own washcloth, soaping it up and beginning with Rudy’s shoulders.
“I love yours too.”
“Yeah, but look at you. All these muscles? You’re gorgeous.” Rudy sighed, dropping to his knees to give Clay’s thighs and groin a thorough cleaning. “I could run my hands over your body all day and never get tired or bored.”
“Baby, you are the gorgeous one. So what if you don’t have big muscles? You still have them.” Clay bent over to run his hands down Rudy’s back. “You are so toned, sleek and sexy. I love how you feel.”
He tugged Rudy back to his feet and lowered himself to wash Rudy’s genitals. “And this guy’s no slouch in the size department.” Clay held Rudy’s soft cock and tenderly ran the washcloth over and around it. It began to thicken in Clay’s hands and he grinned up at Rudy.
“Ah, guys?” The voice of the medic echoed in the shower area, interrupting them. “Sorry to, um, interrupt but we’ll be gathering in the hall in about twenty minutes.”
“Shit,” cursed Rudy. “And, it’s gone,” he said, looking mournfully down at his now deflated cock.
Clay laughed. “Don’t worry, baby. After we eat and check on Jackson, we’ll bring it back to life.”
“Damn right we will.” Rudy gave him a firm nod. He paused. “Thank you for wanting to check on Jackson.”
Clay shrugged. “He’s not so bad, once you get to know him. I guess.”
“You like him. You like him,” Rudy sing-songed at him.
“Never said that.” Clay tapped Rudy on the nose before pouring shampoo onto Rudy’s head.
“Uh-huh.”
They washed each other’s hair, rinsed off and toweled each other dry before wrapping the towels around their waists once more. Their gazes met in the mirror as they quickly shaved side by side. Rudy gave him a soft smile, his eyes filled with love and Clay thought his chest would burst from the emotion barely contained inside him.
Hand in hand, they returned to their room. Joel and Lachlan were in the hallway, resting against the wall chatting. Joel winked at Rudy as he and Clay passed him. Clay grinned as red crawled up Rudy’s skin. Giving him a kiss on his flushed check, Clay pulled him close as he opened the door to their room, shutting it firmly behind them.
“Ignore them, baby. They are just jealous that I have you and they don’t.”
Rudy beamed up at him. “More like the other way around.”
“Nope. I’m the lucky one,” Clay said, tugging Rudy close. He just held him, breathing his mate in, simply wanting to feel his mate in his arms. Rudy leaned into him, with a contented sigh. Clay knew anything more between them would have to wait till later.
After a couple of minutes, Clay reluctantly stepped back. “We’d better get dressed, baby.”
Nodding, Rudy reached for his bag of clothing as Clay did the same. Once dressed though, Rudy pulled the top drawer of the dresser out as far as it would go.
“What are you doing?” Clay asked him as he draped one of the towels over the drawer.
“Well, we have nowhere to hang them to dry so we’ll use the empty dresser as a towel bar,” Rudy replied to him as he hung the other towel beside the first one.
Clay kissed his forehead. “The inside is as smart and sexy as the outside.”
“So you love my brains as well as my sexy bod, huh?” Rudy gave him a playful smirk.
He drew Rudy close and wrapped his arms around him. “I love you, my mate, you are my everything.” Rudy melted into him as Clay lowered his head and pressed his lips to Rudy’s. He angled his head, deepening the kiss.
Banging on their door made him reluctantly move back. “Guess we had better join the others.”
“Yeah.” Rudy sighed.
Clay slipped his arm around Rudy’s waist and they left their room to join the others milling about in the hallway.
“Finally,” Craig said. “Figured you would never come out.”
“I don’t know about that. From the noise, I think there was quite a bit of coming in there earlier.” Ferris elbowed Craig in the side and the two of them roared with laughter, while the others chuckled.
“You’re just jealous that you don’t have a hottie like Rudy does.” Dalton sniffed in disdain.
Ferris turned to Dalton. “And what makes you think I don’t?”
Dalton looked Ferris up and down. “Sure, hon, whatever you say.” He shook his head sadly and walked up to the medic. Ferris flushed at the snickers around him.
“What?” Ferris snapped, glaring at everyone.
No one said a word as they followed the medic down the hall. He led them to another part of the building and into a huge, and very busy, canteen.
“Grab a tray and load up,” he told them. “After you eat, we’ll head to the med bay for a check-up and debriefing.”
Clay followed Rudy to the table the medic had apparently reserved for them. He had also filled a tray and was waiting for them all to sit. The seven of them arranged themselves around the table.
“Why do we need a check-up if we feel fine?” Craig asked the medic curiously from across the table as he picked up his fork.
“We don’t know what the drug was that they injected into you to keep you from shifting. The prisoners aren’t talking so we want to run some tests to ensure it has no lasting effects.”
“Oh. That makes a lot of sense.” Craig nodded his approval, shoveling a forkful of stew into his mouth.
“I’m impressed. This is good,” Rudy murmured to Clay.
“Has to be. Men that don’t eat don’t stay healthy and they won’t eat if it tastes like shit.”
“You sound like you are speaking from experience.”
Clay glanced up at the medic. “I am. Colonel Clarence Barnet, at your service.”
The medic’s eyes widened. “Sir!” He snapped to attention and saluted.
Everyone had stopped eating and stared at the two of them.
Clay returned the man’s salute. “At ease, Private...?”
“Sherman, Hank Sherman. Sir, yes sir.” The medic relaxed and resumed eating.
Glancing over to Rudy, Clay could see the sides of his lips curved up in a small smile.
“Is my baby getting turned on?”
Rudy peeked at him from the corner of his eyes. “Maybe.”
“There’s lots of lube left...”
“Nuh-uh, none of that.” Dalton snapped his fingers in front of their faces. “There is no doing that mind thingy at the dinner table. I don’t have to listen in to know what you two are talking about. Those pheromones... Whew.” He waved a hand in front of his face. “Damn boys, you stink. Do you think the rest of us want to eat smelling that?”
“Sorry,” Rudy mumbled, staring down at his tray, the cutlery sliding from his fingers.
“And what’s with your animal? Your mama stick your tail in a light socket when you were a baby? Seriously!”
Rudy’s chin dropped lower, and he clasped his hands on his lap, knuckles white and Clay saw red. Turning, Clay opened his mouth to let the man have it for upsetting his mate, when shy Curtis, who had barely said a handful of words to any of them, rounded angrily on Dalton.
“Would you stop being such a fucking bitch! Rudy’s been nothing but kind and supportive through this whole ordeal and you have to be an asshole to him!” His voice steadily increased as he rose to his feet to stand over Dalton who cowered back at Curtis’s unexpected fury. Ferris, Craig and Lachlan were all scowling at Dalton and Joel had his hand over his mouth in shock at Dalton’s words.
“If it wasn’t for Rudy and Clay,” Curtis continued. “You’d be some rich man’s slave at his beck and call for sex or worse! No one knew where we were or what had happened to us. Did that little detail escape your small mind somehow? You should be on your knees thanking him, not picking on him. Where you always this horrible or did you lose your basic decency somewhere along the line?”
Dalton flashed a glance around the table, paled, then leapt to his feet and bolted from the room. Sherman stood. “I’ll get him.”
Rudy looked at the men around the table before finally settling on Curtis. “Thank you,” he said softly.
Curtis leaned across the table and clasped Rudy’s hand. “I don’t know why he’s behaving like this but thank you. You kept me sane in that trailer with your stories and how positive you were that your mate was coming for you and that he would rescue all of us.” Curtis shifted his gaze to Clay who was rather awed by the small man.
“Thank you both.”
The other men at the table all gave them their thanks for their rescue. Lachlan who sat on Clay’s other side, held his hand out.
“You are a very lucky man to have someone like Rudy.”
Clay grasped Lachlan’s hand and shook it. “Don’t I know it.” Smiling, he dropped his arm over Rudy’s shoulders in a possessive gesture that wasn’t lost on Lachlan and he grinned at Clay.
He idly played with a lock of Rudy’s hair as he talked to Lachlan, who as it turned out, owned a security firm. They had similar interests in gadgets and were having a heated discussion about a designing a deep-sea submersible drone.
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“Sorry?” Clay glanced over to Curtis. “Why not?”
“Because the only way you could link it to your independent app is...” Curtis traced out his explanation on the table’s surface.
“Not if you bypass the primary line like this.” Rudy put his finger on the table and moved it around. “Then loop the code to allow for it.”
Curtis stared at the invisible diagram on the tabletop. Clay could see the excitement building in the young man’s eyes as he processed what he wasn’t actually seeing.
“Then this would go to that peripheral...”
“Yes, I can see that. I...what?” Rudy glanced up at the silence.
Chuckling, Clay ruffled Rudy’s hair. “Just hire the kid. He’s good, you like him, and you need another programmer.”
“I do? Since when?”
“Since one of your best programmers sold you out to his brother, Rick Millar.” Rudy’s eyes widened. Clay could literally see the wheels turning behind Rudy’s beautiful brown orbs. Rudy’s mouth opened as his brilliant mind connected the dots.
“Shit. Chris.”
“Yup,” Clay agreed. “He’s agreed to testify but has to go into WITSEC.” He turned to Curtis. “So, we’ll see you in HR at Imatech in a few days?”
“Yes, sir.” Curtis nodded his head so hard that Clay feared he would hurt his neck. He could hear Lachlan’s snicker beside him.
“I’ll be paying a visit to your office probably next week to discuss this design.” Lachlan held out his hand to Clay again.
“Done.”
“Gentlemen?” Sherman had returned but there was no sign of Dalton. “If you would deposit your trays on the racks as we leave, it’s time for your physicals and statements.”
As they rose to their feet, Rudy waved at Sherman to get his attention. “What about Dalton?”
Sherman gave a heavy exhale. “I found him. He’s already had his physical and is talking to the FBI. He refused to come back.”
“No loss after the way he behaved,” snorted Joel.
Rudy said nothing, but Clay could see that he was thinking hard. According to Lachlan, Dalton hadn’t been mean in the trailer so what had happened since then? He slid his fingers through Rudy’s and tugged on his hand.
“Don’t worry about it now. We can deal with it later.”
“Kay,” Rudy responded absently.
Clay sighed. That was Rudy, caring, compassionate and nurturing, worried about a man who had verbally abused him because there had to be a reasonable explanation for it. They followed Sherman into another building which resembled a hospital. Shown to a room with chairs along one wall and a curtained off area, Rudy caught Sherman before he could leave.
“Is it possible to see Jackson Frost? Is he all right?”
“Slender, white hair?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“He’s okay. Minor cuts and abrasions, mostly exhaustion. I can take you to see him, if you’d like?”
“Yes, please.”
Sherman leaned into the curtained area. “I’m taking the Klaus-Barnets to the infirmary. Be back in five.”
“No problem,” responded an unseen voice from behind the curtain.
Sherman waved at them to follow him. “This way.”
He led them to an open doorway marked ‘Infirmary 1’. Rudy spotted Jackson and immediately rushed over to his bed. Raph, sat on a chair on the other side of Jackson, holding Jackson’s hand on the bed, eyes closed and head back. Soft snores came from him.
Rudy brushed some hair off Jackson’s forehead. The man was still very pale and for Jackson, that was saying something.
“Do you think they will release him with us tomorrow?” Rudy asked Clay softly.
Raph jerked awake, looked around him startled, then he seemed to realize where he was because he relaxed when he spied Rudy and Clay.
“Sorry, Raph. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He released Jackson’s hand and scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. Lifting a shoulder, he mumbled, “Mmm, s’okay.”
“Have you eaten anything?” Rudy asked him in concern. “I could bring you something.”
Raph’s gaze settled on Jackson. “I’m good. One of the soldiers brought me a tray, but thanks for asking.”
Clay followed Raph’s line of sight. “How’s he doing?”
“All right. Sleeping.”
“Why are you here?” Clay demanded eyeing Raph suspiciously.
Raph didn’t look up. “I...don’t know. I mean, besides professional.” He flicked his eyes in Clay’s direction for a moment. “I am a doctor, after all.” Raph leaned over the edge of the bed, head in his hands, staring at Jackson’s still form. “There’s something about him. I can’t seem to walk away and I sure as hell can’t explain it. He’s literally a complete stranger, yet I’ve never felt this way before, and I don’t understand it.”
Clay exchanged glances with Rudy as he threaded his fingers through Rudy’s. “We might.”
“Huh?”
Jackson’s eyelids fluttered and slowly lifted, distracting Raph.
“Hey, buddy.” Rudy gripped Jackson’s shoulder. “How are you doing?”
He opened his mouth, closed it and tried to swallow, his throat working and from his expression, it was painful. Raph picked up the cup from the side table and held the straw in it for Jackson and he smiled his gratitude up at Raph before taking a couple of sips and nodding.
“Thanks. Besides being hella tired, I’m fine.”
Rudy grabbed a chair and dragged it close to Jackson’s bed. “That was awesome what you did back there.”
Jackson smiled. “I’ve never done anything on that scale before.”
“I know. I remember what you told me. You’re going to have to work on strengthening your abilities, now that you know you are more powerful than you thought. And that crossbow thing? Wow. Just wow.” Rudy was grinning broadly at him. “After we get home, I want you to show me again.”
“Done.” Jackson laughed at Rudy’s enthusiasm.
“Home?” Raph asked quietly and Jackson turned his head to face him.
“I’m Rudy and Clay’s manny.”
Raph’s eyebrows rose. “Manny?”
“He helps us take care of our three girls and twin newborn boys.”
“With mad skills like he’s got and he’s a babysitter?” Raph looked shocked.
Clay watched Jackson’s face close down and he was surprised at the feelings that surged through him. “Raph, don’t you dare put that man down. He has done things you would never believe. The fact that he now chooses to help us raise our kids is nothing short of a miracle. Jackson is an amazing man and absolutely invaluable to us.”
He caught Jackson and Rudy both staring at him open-mouthed. “What? It’s true.”
“I know it is. I just didn’t think you knew it, babe.”
Clay huffed, crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “Of course, I knew it. He’s my friend too.”
“Well, fuck me running,” Jackson whispered. He rolled his head towards Rudy. “Did I just hear him right? I’m not concussed or anything, right?”
“You heard him. I’m your witness.” Rudy rose to his feet, moved over to Clay and gripped his hips. “I’m really proud of you, babe.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Clay tried to act grumpy, but Rudy tugged him closer and he reluctantly uncrossed his arms then wrapped them around Rudy.
Rudy leaned up to press a kiss to Clay’s mouth. “I.” Kiss. “Am.” Kiss. “Really.” Kiss. “Proud.” Kiss. “Of.” Kiss. “You.” The last kiss lingering as Rudy played and teased Clay’s lips.
The grumble of a voice being cleared forced Clay to reluctantly pull away from the addiction that was Rudy’s lips.
“Um, the doc is ready to see you.” Sherman stood a couple of feet away, red-faced.
Rudy clasped Jackson’s wrist. “We’ll see you later or tomorrow when we head home. Tell Sherman or whoever, to come and get me if you need anything.”
Jackson twisted his hand until he held Rudy’s. “Thank you, Rudy.”
“Anytime, my friend. Anytime.”
Clay patted Jackson’s leg and the two of them headed back to the other room. A doctor had the curtain partially opened. Clay saw an examination table. It looked like a clinic with shelves of instruments, bandages and medications. Sherman stopped Clay when he tried to follow Rudy.
“I’m sorry, sir, but only one at a time.”
Clay curled his lips back, putting his now prominent canines on full display. The doctor paled and stepped back but Clay had to give Sherman credit for standing his ground.
“I’ve just gotten my mate back and if you think I’m going to let him out of my sight for even one minute you are sadly mistaken. Are we clear on this, private?” Clay hissed to drive his point home.
“Sir, yes, sir.”
Clay snapped the curtain closed behind him in Sherman’s face. He turned to the doctor. “Got any problems with me being here?”
“No, sir. If you wouldn’t mind taking a seat out of the way?” He pointed to a stool in the corner.
“Thank you,” Clay replied, his canines receding as he sat in the corner, arms folded across his chest.
“Baby, stop intimidating the doctor. He’s just trying to do his job.” Rudy hopped onto the examination table, so the doctor could began checking his vitals.
“Well, he can do his job with me in the room.” He huffed, and the doctor hastily glanced at him. Clay gave the man a fake smile, more of a scowl, and the doctor quickly gave Clay his back as he reached for a blood collection tube, needle and rubber band to draw Rudy’s blood.
After filling four vials of Rudy’s blood and pressing on the vein for a couple seconds, the doctor stepped back from Rudy and reached for his tablet.
“I have a few questions for you.”
“No problem.”
“Are you experiencing any dizziness or nausea?”
“Nope.”
“Rashes or flushes? Numbness?”
“No.”
“Any problems shifting?”
“Nope. The drug wore off quickly once that collar was off my neck.”
“Good. Thank you.” He glanced at Clay. “Your turn.”
Rudy slid off the table and exchanged places with Clay. The doctor went through the same tests, blood draw and questions, not once looking Clay in the eyes.
“All right, gentlemen. If you would please follow Private Sherman, SSA Anderson, and General Anderson are next door waiting for you.”
“Thank you,” Rudy cheerfully responded, tugging Clay past the curtain.
Sherman was standing by the exit of the now empty room. “This way. Just next door.”
The room they were shown to was bare except for a table with two chairs before it. Behind the table sat Christian and the General, each with a pen and large lined yellow notepad before them. No recording devices were on the table and Clay immediately became suspicious. He glanced around the room, seeing no cameras mounted on the ceiling or walls. He returned his gaze to the two men before him. What was going on?
“Take a seat, gentlemen.” The general waved at them to sit. “That will be all, Private.”
“Sir.”
The door closed with a soft snick as Clay and Rudy took their seats. In the closed room, Clay could easily smell the ‘otherness’ of Christian’s scent but the General, his uncle, was completely human. Christian must have inherited his mother’s lineage then. Christian narrowed his eyes at Clay and flashed a quick sidelong glance at the General beside him. Was he sending Clay a warning? Clay forced himself to remain calm. He shifted his chair closer to Rudy’s, casually reaching over and resting his arm on the back of Rudy’s chair, his fingers at Rudy’s nape, under his collar.
“Something’s not right here. Be very careful of what you say.”
“Clay,” the General began, “You already know Supervisory Special Agent H. Christian Anderson.” He indicated Christian beside him. “I’ve been apprised of everything you’ve done so I won’t bother to ask you any questions.”
“Excuse me, General. But why are you involved? This is an FBI, not military matter.”
“Normally, that would be true. But these are extenuating circumstances.”
Clay tipped back in his chair, still playing with Rudy’s hair. “And what would those be?” he asked calmly.
The General leaned forward, clasping his hands together on top of the table. “Let me cut to the chase here. We need to know how you removed those collars.”
“I picked the lock,” Rudy answered without pause.
“No, you did not.”
“You weren’t there. How would you know?”
“Because no one died.”
“Excuse me?”
“There are small charges in the collars.” Christian took over. “The keys are like antitheft devices. If you try to open the lock with anything other than the key synced to the lock, the charge goes off and ...”
“The wearer dies if someone tampers with the lock,” Rudy whispered in shock.
“Painfully so,” agreed the General. “We unfortunately found this out the hard way.”
Clay gave him a sharp look. “There are others.”
“Yes. Once the pump was depleted of the drug, the smaller shifters tried to shift into their animals and escape the collars. That was a mistake. We discovered that the explosive is linked to the drug pump. Once the pressure is off the insertion needle, they explode. Even if we managed to disable the explosive, the collars are titanium and would strangle the larger shifters.”
“Why weren’t you able to recover the keys for the collars when you raided the sites?” Clay asked him.
“Once the victims were collared, the keys were given to Rick Millar who then immediately couriered them to a holding person that would forward the keys to the buyers. The holder changes locations constantly and we haven’t been able to track him down. He sends instructions using a non-traceable phone, bouncing the signal all over the country. By the time we manage to trace the signal, he’s moved on.”
“So in desperation, you tried to pick the lock,” Rudy said.
“Yes, we did. Amongst other things. And we lost several before we stopped trying.” He slid a handful of four by six pictures out from under the notepad and across the table for Clay and Rudy to look at.
“This is what we were able to piece together from the exploded collars. Of course, now we have complete ones to work with. We learned from one of the truck drivers that one man died when they primed the explosive device. Not only is it linked to a key, it is connected to the drug pump. The collar locks in place when applied. The first turn of the key inserts the soft canula under the victim’s skin and starts the pump. The second turn of the key primes the explosive. After one of their victim’s collar’s exploded, the drivers thought that they had a defective lot. None of the collars were set to explode. You got lucky.”
“So I could have picked the lock.”
“Ah, but you didn’t. You all but admitted it. You did something else. What you fail to understand is that what we ‘busted’ as Agent Anderson here would say is only one cell of this monstrous organization. There are more cells scattered throughout the country. The military is involved not only because some of our boys are victims, but the technology used is diabolically clever and we want it.”
“Shit,” Rudy gasped.
“We are hoping with the information we were able to get this time,” Christian added, “That we can find the other cells, most if not all of the buyers and get as many of the victims returned as possible.”
“How many collared shifters do you have?”
“Thirty-four.”
“Thirty-four!”
Rudy spun in Clay’s direction. “Clay, I have to help them!”
Clay exhaled heavily. “We have to be very careful here, babe. He suspects that you did something unique. If he finds out exactly how, he will never let you go.”
“So, I see that the others were telling the truth. You are True Mates,” the General interrupted them. “You can speak mind to mind.”
Damn it, they’d given it away. “Yes, it’s true, we are and we can.” Clay paused for a moment, acting like he was trying to make a decision while Rudy carefully watched him. Finally, he spoke. “Rudy and I have been working on a special piece of technology. That’s what we used to free the prisoners.”
The General eagerly leaned forward once more. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry, General, but that information is far above your pay grade.”
“What?” The man looked so offended that Clay was tempted to laugh at him, general or not.
“The tech is very experimental, General.” Rudy’s gaze went from the General to Christian and back again. “It is also dangerous and can have serious side-effects.”
“But you safely released eight men from their confinement.”
“Yes,” Rudy admitted hesitantly. “However, the explosive was deactivated. As you said, we were lucky. The worst side effect was disorientation and nausea.” He said nothing about leaving their clothes behind and neither man across from them mentioned it. Possibly it was simply too embarrassing for the other prisoners to mention.
“Can’t you give us the tech, so we could try to free these men?”
“No,” Clay stated flatly.
“No?”
Rudy shook his head. “We can’t. But I have a suggestion.”
“Rudy?”
“Bring these men to Imatech. We’ll take them to the labs and attempt to remove the collars.”
“Attempt?” The General’s eyebrows rose.
“Will remove. In exchange, you leave us some of the unexploded collars from the barn and we will find a safe way to deactivate them.”
The General fell silent and stared at Rudy and Clay.
“Rudy...”
“I know you can do it, Clay. And if I remove the collars in a secure room we’ll set up in our building, then no one will know.”
“Will you be able to blink faster than the explosive?”
“A blink is instantaneous. But the collars will explode the minute the canula is out of their skin.”
Clay fell quiet for a second, mulling over the implications before he spoke to Rudy again. “I know you want to help but what if you’re not fast enough? What if this is a setup? I don’t like this.”
“I know, sweetheart. That’s why I trust you to watch my back.”
“With my life.”
“I know.”
The General slapped the table. “Done. We will have them delivered to your office in three days, at o-nine hundred hours.” He reached out a hand to Rudy who took it.
“That’ll be fine, General Anderson.”