Please, Merrick. I really think if I can get a signal, we can get help, Addie begged.
She watched him pull back and close his eyes. After several deep breaths, he opened his eyes and nodded. A tentative smile curved her lips as he carefully shifted his weight off her and stood up next to the bed.
He kept his body between the men and Doctor Rockman and her. Addie tiredly sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Pushing her hair out of her face, she stared at Doctor Rockman’s satisfied face. For the first time in her life, Addie seriously considered using physical violence against another woman. She would love to snatch the bitch by the hair and drug her ass to see how she liked it!
“That was a smart decision,” Doctor Rockman said.
“What do you want?” Merrick demanded.
Addie could see the surprise on Rockman’s face at Merrick’s sudden demand. The woman’s eyes flashed back and forth between him and Addie before she looked back at him. A calculating look came into her eyes that immediately had Addie suspicious that the woman was up to something.
“The guards will restrain you and you will be escorted to the lab for additional testing. This will be the first time that I can perform some tests without you being under the influence of drugs. As long as you do the tests that I need, you and Addie, isn’t it,” Rockman asked, looking at where Addie was sitting on the bed, trying to follow along. Addie nodded her head. “Addie will be given time to refresh herself and return here. If you attack any of the guards, try to escape, or refuse to complete any of the tests, I will order her immediately terminated, do you understand?”
Addie could feel the rage in Merrick and laid her hand on the back of his thigh in an effort to remind him to remain calm. They needed to play along until they could escape or were rescued. No matter how bad it got, as long as they were alive, they had a chance.
Merrick, please, Addie begged silently.
I will do what she demands… for now, Merrick replied before closing off his thoughts.
Addie turned her eyes to the woman again as Merrick nodded his head. Rising to her feet, she bit her lip when Merrick stood stoically while two of the guards put shackles around his waist, wrists, and ankles. The sight of such a proud, powerful man reduced to this made her want to cry. There was just something so very wrong about chaining a creature so powerful.
“Take him to the lab,” Doctor Rockman ordered. “I’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes, ma’am,” one of the guards said. “Move it.”
Addie’s eyes remained focused on Merrick’s back until they turned the corner at the far end of the corridor and she couldn’t see him any longer. She jerked in surprise when she felt cold fingers touch her arm. Turning, she watched with wide, wary eyes as Rockman indicated for her to follow her.
Nodding, Addie’s hand went to her stomach as it turned. She didn’t know what was about to happen. It took everything in her to not touch the cell phone that she had hidden in her bra just to make sure it was still there.
Addie followed Doctor Rockman while the remaining guard followed. She was surprised when they turned the same corner and stepped into an elevator. The silence that had been such a huge part of her life since she was sixteen suddenly felt overwhelming.
I am here, Addie, Merrick suddenly whispered through her mind. I will not leave you.
Sorry for being such a wuss, Addie thought back as she watched the elevator numbers going up. I swear, I don’t know how you’ve kept your sanity. Two days and I’m ready for a straight jacket and a padded room.
Who said I kept my sanity? Merrick teased back.
Addie bowed her head to keep the sudden grin on her face hidden. She hadn’t expected his teasing, but it was definitely welcomed, she thought as warmth filled her. Who would have thought… an alien with a sense of humor.
Thank you, Merrick, Addie whispered. Are you alright? Where are you?
I am fine. Rockman wishes to see my endurance, Merrick replied dryly. They have me on a machine and wish for me to run. They are not the brightest of scientists.
Addie cleared her throat, trying to cover her choked laugh as a cough. She glanced over at Doctor Rockman who was studying her with a frown. Touching her throat, she emitted two short coughs with an apologetic smile.
I’ll be alright now. If I get a chance, I’ll try calling the number. Rockman is actually taking me up higher. I’ve got to go, Addie added. Be safe and don’t let them knock you out.
I will behave, Addie, Merrick grumbled dryly. Be safe yourself, my mate.
I’m not… Addie rolled her eyes when she felt Merrick pull away with a chuckle. Toad.
She sighed as she followed Rockman out of the elevator and down yet another corridor. This section looked more like an apartment, than a lab. Glancing around, Addie felt a sense of hope surge through her. She could see the lights of buildings out of the seventh story window. They were in a city!
Where there’s a city, there is bound to be cell phone reception, she thought with excitement. Oh, Merrick, we may make it out of this yet.
Chapter 14
Margaret Rockman nodded to the guard to stand outside of her new office as she stepped through the door. Out of all of the labs she had been given to use over the past four months, this one was the nicest. Markham had outdone himself this time, she reluctantly admitted.
Waving her hand to a chair, she stepped around the desk and sank down in the chair. Her eyes ran over the figure of the woman in front of her. Addie Banks was a bit of a surprise. From her early exam, she was five foot five inches tall, weighted in at one hundred, thirty-five pounds, twenty-two years of age, and was deaf due to an illness when she was in her teens.
Margaret decided Addie’s thick blonde hair, green eyes, and curvy figure were the major attraction. Personally, she didn’t give a damn. She just wanted something that she could study indefinitely.
“Addie, can you understand what I am saying?” Margaret asked with a raised eyebrow.
She watched as Addie nodded, signing as she did. “As long as you speak slowly and look at me, I can usually figure out what you are trying to say,” Addie admitted in a husky voice. “Why are you doing this? Why did you take me?”
“Do you have any idea what a find such as this is to the scientific world? The fact that an alien life exists is beyond comprehension. I would have been insane to pass up a chance to study a live specimen,” Margaret replied.
“You hurt him. How is that helpful? You… They killed the guard! You don’t kill people in the name of science,” Addie argued.
“How did you know that the guard had been killed?” Margaret asked with a raised eyebrow.
Addie shrugged and sat back in the chair she had sat down in. “The man who caught me said something,” she replied, looking Rockman in the eye. “Why did you take me? I wouldn’t have known anything. I just clean offices.”
“But, you did know something, Addie,” Margaret replied in a quiet voice. “Markham reviews the security tapes daily. He informed Weston of the transgression.”
Addie paled and folded her hands together. “I didn’t tell anyone about what I saw. I thought it was one of those experiments they do with college students needing extra spending money,” she explained in a trembling voice. “Some kids from my classes were talking about doing it recently.”
Margaret leaned forward and folded her hands carefully on the desk in front of her. She needed Addie’s cooperation. So far, any sperm she had tried to retrieve from the alien had died shortly after she took it. Addie was at her peak chance for a pregnancy, according to the blood tests. She was young, and except for her hearing loss, healthy. The bonus was that the male appeared to find her attractive.
Not only that, Margaret was running out of time. She had three days until Markham returned to destroy her prized lab rat. Yes, time was running out and she had been given the perfect replacement. Margaret was a firm believer that things happened for a reason, and Addie had been at the wrong place at the ri
ght time, as far as she was concerned.
“Then, you can consider yourself part of this experiment,” Margaret stated, watching Addie’s face crease with a frown.
“What kind of experiment?” Addie asked.
“I want you to have intercourse with him,” Margaret replied.
“What?!” Addie replied in disbelief, sitting forward and staring at Margaret as if she must have translated what she was saying wrong. Shaking her head, she concentrated on Margaret’s mouth. “You want me to what?”
“I want you to have sex with him,” Margaret repeated slowly. “It is the one… test I have been unable to study.”
“NO!” Addie whispered in horror, rising out of her seat. “No, that is just… wrong! I can’t… You can’t… That is just… wrong on so many different levels!”
Margaret rose out of her chair as well, looking at Addie through narrowed eyes. Her mouth tightened at the look of horror on the young woman’s face. Perhaps she had misjudged the situation and there was not a measure of attraction between her and the male. It wouldn’t matter, she had no choice. It was Addie or nothing.
“Are you really so naïve, Ms. Banks?” Margaret asked in a cold voice. “Sex between species has been studied throughout history. I need to have a sample of his semen and you, Addie, will get it for me.”
“No!” Addie said, shaking her head back and forth.
“Then, you are no longer useful,” Margaret replied. “And neither is the male. I’ve done all the tests I need from him.”
*.*.*
Addie watched in horror as Margaret picked up the phone on her desk and pressed a button. Panic struck her as she read the woman’s lips. ‘Kill him.” Leaning forward, she grabbed Rockman’s arm.
“No, no, I will do it,” Addie said, desperately. “I’ll do it.”
“Cancel the order,” Margaret finally ordered after several long seconds. “Get him cleaned up.”
Addie pulled away as if she had been burnt. Fear, panic, and horror mixed together in a boiling acid that washed through her in torrential waves. She didn’t know what to do.
She had never had a physical relationship. She had spent all of her time and energy trying to learn how to live all over again, sex and relationships, had been moved completely off the burner! Now, it was not only moved back on, it was turned on high. How the hell was she supposed to seduce a guy like Merrick when she…
Oh shit, she thought. What if he is built all weird?
Addie? What has happened? I can feel your panic, but you have your thoughts shielded, Merrick’s deep voice pushed ruthlessly through the wall she had constructed.
I’m okay. How about you? She asked, her mind churning with confusion.
They are moving me, Merrick replied in a cautious voice.
I’m still with Rockman, Addie said faintly. I have to focus on what she is saying. I… I’ll see you soon.
Addie, Merrick whispered.
Yes?
You are an amazing female, he said in a gruff voice before pulling away from her.
You have no idea, Addie whispered as she focused on what Rockman wanted.
*.*.*
Ten minutes later, Addie watched as the door to the bathroom closed behind her. The pile of clothes in her arms felt like weights instead of silk. Rockman had handed the delicate dress that was more suited for a cocktail party than a prison to her, with the instructions she had thirty minutes to make herself desirable, or she and Merrick would be terminated.
“Nothing like the threat of death to put somebody in the mood,” Addie grunted out as she dropped the pile on the floor next to the sink.
Reaching into her shirt, she pulled her cell phone out of her bra. Pressing the button, she waited for it to turn on. Tribulation gripped her in its greedy grasp as she waited to see if she had a signal. She almost cried in relief when she saw four bars appear at the top of the lighted display.
Her fingers trembled uncontrollably as she pressed her finger to the button. Glancing at the door, she bit her lip and hurried over to the shower. Turning it on, she leaned back against the wall and tapped the phone icon.
Addie pressed the number at the top of her recent list and waited for the phone to vibrate to let her know when it was connected. It took both of her hands to hold it. The moment the connection showed, she typed quickly.
“Please help us,” she tapped out, glancing up at the door. “We are being held prisoner.”
“Where are you?” The returned message replied. “Is Merrick with you?”
“Yes. I don’t know. We didn’t see where they were taking us,” Addie typed. “They have threatened to kill us. They have already killed one person.”
“Can you describe where you are?”
Addie growled in frustration. Raising the phone in front of her, she spoke in a low voice. It was frustrating not being able to see and hear the phone.
“I’m deaf, so I can’t hear you,” Addie whispered, keeping her eyes glued to the door. “I worked at Keise Institute in Housekeeping. Last night, a… man named Merrick and I were taken by force. He gave me this number to call. Please, I don’t have much time. We are in a basement section of a building. They had… have us locked in a cell. I will leave my cell phone on as long as I can. I have to go.”
Addie pulled the cell phone away and glanced at it. Excitement burst through her when she saw the message. Tears blurred her vision, but she pushed them away.
Grabbing the towel off the towel holder, she hid her phone under it. She quickly stripped off her dirty clothes and stepped under the hot water. She washed quickly, her mind playing the message over and over.
Help is on the way, sweetheart. You are in Reno, Nevada. Stay strong, you’ll be free soon.
Merrick? Addie called, reaching for him as she lathered her hair.
I am here.
Help is on the way, Addie whispered in excitement. We’ll be free soon.
They have taken me back to my cell, something strange is going on, Merrick replied in a voice filled with tension.
Why do you think that? Addie asked, swallowing nervously.
Rockman did not come to the lab and the testing was cut short before they returned me, he replied.
Yes, well, I think I’m going to be returned soon, Addie responded.
What did she do to you? He asked.
Just talked to me, Addie replied. Merrick…
Yes?
I… Never mind. I’ll be there soon, Addie said with a sigh. Just concentrate on the fact you’ll be free soon.
We will be free soon, Addie.
We’ll be free soon, she replied.
Addie quickly finished her shower, dried off, and dressed. She grimaced as she bent and turned her head down so she could dry her hair. Something told her a wet head was not sexy.
She quickly ran the brush through it after it was semi-dry to contain the fluffiness. Ignoring the makeup, she glanced in the mirror. Her eyes suddenly seemed way too big for her face. The hot shower, combined with practically standing on her head to dry her hair, had put a rosy glow on her cheeks making makeup unnecessary.
The dark blue dress hugged her figure, making her self-conscious. She never wore clothes this tight. She looked with distaste at the matching high heels. The whole outfit screamed ‘call girl’.
Breathing deeply, she gripped the cell phone in her hand, glancing once more at the message on the screen before she reluctantly turned it off and slipped it into the pocket of her jeans. There was no way she could hide it in her bra. It was too delicate and the dress too tight for the bump of a cell phone to be concealed. Addie really hoped that they didn’t take her clothes away from her.
She quickly collected the pile and turned when the door to the bathroom opened. The pleased look in Rockman’s eyes made her stomach turn again. Once again, Addie couldn’t help but wish she was a more violent person.
“You clean up very nicely,” Rockman said with a nod of approval. “Remember what I said. If you don’t get the sa
mple I want, I will terminate both of you.”
“You aren’t… You aren’t going to wat… watch us, are you?” Addie asked in a low, husky voice. “I can’t… I can’t if, you know… I won’t do it, if anyone is watching.”
Addie hated the trembling in her voice. There was no way she could make love with Merrick if she knew they had an audience. Her face flooded with heat when she thought of him and her doing…
Rockman’s chuckle pulled her out of her reverie. Resentment flashed through her. Her first time should have been a special time with someone that she loved! Not because this, this horrible, evil woman wanted to complete another test.
“I won’t do it,” Addie snapped in fury. “You can kill me now if you think I’ll let you watch us like some kind of pervert.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Rockman replied in a voice as hard as steel. “You’ll seduce our alien friend and get the specimens I need or I will let you watch me dissect him before I kill you. I don’t have time for your sudden modesty, Ms. Banks. You will do what you are told. I know Weston is interested in you. Perhaps you’d like to warm up with him first?”
“No! No,” Addie replied in a trembling voice. “It is just… this will be my first time.”
“Your first….” If Addie thought the woman would be sympathetic or understanding to the fact that she was a virgin, it disappeared at the woman’s delighted laughter. “This is too good to be true. Well, my little virgin, you get to seduce the big, bad alien. Perhaps he can sense your innocence, which is what is turning him on.”
“You are a horrible person,” Addie hissed, clutching her clothes to her chest. “I hope you get what you deserve!”
“I hope so, too, my dear Addie. I really hope so,” Rockman chuckled. “The guard will escort you back. Make sure you do a good job.”
“Go to hell,” Addie muttered, walking past Rockman with her head held high.