Black Moon Awakening

By Lina Gardiner

Jude Black was the deadliest Therian operative in North America . . . until his path collided with an enemy with golden eyes and a body that clouded his thinking.

Shapeshifter Jude Black, level six operative for the Therian Senate and their deadliest weapon, has served his superiors for ten years without question. He was raised to believe his job is one of the highest, most honorable occupations in the realm. Killing is what he does, and having each mission wiped from his memory is a non-issue . . . until his brother Garrett goes missing.

When it appears that the Senate's only concern is to make him forget the whereabouts of his only brother, Jude begins to question his loyalties. Then he meets the beautiful, hazel-eyed Letitia Hawkes, and his loyalty is put to the ultimate test. She is a werewolf, one of his race's sworn enemies. But she's being used by Eideroche Medical, the same people who made his brother disappear.

Jude's convinced Letitia is the key to the answers he desperately needs to find his brother. At least that's what he tells himself as he teams up with her to find out just what Eideroche is up to. But soon, Jude finds himself in the deadliest battle of his life. Because he's falling in love with Letitia. But by doing so, he might just be guaranteeing her death . . .

". . . a steamy, action-filled adventure that will have you running alongside the characters." --Happily Ever After blog, USA Today

"The romance was dripping with sexual tension . . . "--Caffeinated Book Reviewer

"There is plenty of suspense, intrigue, and deep, dark secrets . . ."--The Reading Café

Lina Gardiner, award-winning author of the Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter series, has writing in her blood. Her books have been well received by such reviewers as Kirkus Reviews and USA Today's HEA blog, including a 4.5-star rating from RT Book Reviews and a nomination for a Romantic Times Reader's Choice Award.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BelleBooks
• Release date: May 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781610260947

Lina Gardiner

Lina Gardiner, award-winning author of the Jess Vandermire Vampire Hunter Series, has writing in her blood. Winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Paranormal-Time Travel-Futuristic. Winner of the Prism Award, Best First Book, from FF&P (Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal Chapter of RWA). Her books have been well received by such reviewers as Kirkus Reviews and USA Today HEA blog, including a 4.5-star rating from RT Book Reviews and nomination for Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award, finalist in the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Awards and 2017 Epic eBooks Awards finalist.

Book preview

Other Books by Lina Gardiner

Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter Series:

Grave Illusions

Beyond the Grave

Grave New Day

Grave Expectations

Black Moon Awakening

by

Lina Gardiner

ImaJinn Books

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events or locations is entirely coincidental.

ImaJinn Books

PO BOX 300921

Memphis, TN 38130

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-61026-094-7

Print ISBN: 978-1-61026-093-0

ImaJinn Books is an Imprint of BelleBooks, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 by Lina Gardiner

Published in the United States of America.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

ImaJinn Books was founded by Linda Kichline.

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Cover design: Deborah Smith

Interior design: Hank Smith

Photo/Art credits:

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Dedication

I’m dedicating this book to my children and

their significant others

Iggy, Jordana, Dane, Annie

Love you all. You make my life so much richer!

Special Thanks to

Linda Kichline

Nola Richardson

Manzer Young

Chapter One

AT THE FIRST sign of movement, Jude Black held his clenched fist at shoulder height in a military command to halt. He only had one team member with him. A rube, or in human terms a trainee, named Perry. In Jude’s opinion the kid was too green to be sent on a real mission, but he had his orders. Jude gritted his teeth, hunkered down behind a rectangular planter and watched the humans at the back of the lobby of the medical building. He prayed the kid didn’t freak out and give their position away.

As in any operation, if they were spotted on cameras, their hand signals would make the security team believe they were human military. Jude had taken on the identity of a CIA operative as his cover. That gave him some impunity, as long as it wasn’t the CIA who snagged him. Not likely to happen here. The men he currently had under surveillance looked more like underworld thugs. Another indication that things weren’t right at Eideroche Medical.

Jude’s government had received intel that this medical facility had access to information they shouldn’t have. It was his job to find out what that might be. If anyone in this facility knew about his people they were in for a world of hurt. Therians guarded their secrecy with deadly consequences. And, because humans no longer accepted or believed in what they considered mythological abilities, Therians wouldn’t allow themselves to be exposed. Exposure could mean all out war—because most humans wouldn’t accept a race more powerful than themselves.

So far Jude’s people had managed to remain hidden after their downfall in Egypt when mankind believed them to be gods. They’d come to North America to start over, although, to Jude, it seemed more like hiding. And they were still hiding. That left a bitter taste.

The kid’s foot slipped and made a squeaking noise on the floor. Jude glared at him and he turned even more pale. Hell! He should’ve said there was no way he’d take Perry along with him, magistrate’s nephew or not. Not even on a supposed simple fact finding mission like this one. Training, his ass. Jude was an operative, not a trainer.

Worse, Perry looked as if he would puke. If he didn’t calm down soon, they’d both be in deep trouble.

What had gone wrong? Jude had monitored the Eideroche Medical Research Company every night for weeks. And every night the routine had been the same, until tonight. The security guard should be on his rounds right now, with no one else in this part of the building.

Yet, still crouching near the entrance, Jude watched two men carry a woman’s body toward the elevators at the back of the lobby. For about ten seconds he thought she might actually be dead—until he saw her fingers move.

Even from his vantage point she captured his attention. Eye candy to a guy who’d been without female companionship for as long as he had. It went against his code to admire her well-toned, curvaceous body. To notice her full lips, or the dark charcoal eyelashes that swept over her high cheekbones.

Hell, right now she was vulnerable. And in a shitload of trouble.

Gritting his teeth against the leg cramp that threatened his thigh, he adjusted his position behind the planter. Thick fronds gave them partial cover, but not if either of them moved.

He looked at the woman again. As much as he hated to admit it, he had a serious soft spot for vulnerable. That’s what his brother Garrett used to tell him whenever he’d tried to rescue stray dogs or cats. People in his society didn’t make pets of animals. Nor did they have soft spots. Not for animals. Not for kids. Definitely not for women. And it was a major pain in the ass in his line of work.

This job is going to crap, kid, he whispered to Perry. So much for the speedy in and out that your uncle promised.

Can we get out of here now? Perry returned in a whisper.

As soon as it’s safe. We can’t do anything until the coast is clear.

Shit! If he didn’t have to baby-sit, this would be a perfect time to find out how this human facility was being used. And to find out what they were going to do to that woman. Since she was unconscious, it was damned obvious she was being taken against her will.

Jude reached over to put a hand on Perry’s shoulder, but the kid swallowed and cringed away. No way could he leave the kid alone right now. He’d probably panic. Jude would have to get him out of here before he could even consider coming back.

The elevator doors closed with a ding, and the room went silent again. He watched the numbers illuminate as the elevator went up. It stopped at three.

Time to leave. With the coast clear, Jude rose. From out of nowhere, a fist the size of a boulder connected with Jude’s mouth. It knocked him backward and smashed him against the plate glass window behind him.

Shit, that smarted!

The glass splintered into a mosaic of tiny fractals and bowed outward but didn’t let go. Thank the gods for safety glass.

And, to make matters worse, the goon who’d hit him had disappeared as fast as he’d appeared. Coward!

Leaning forward, Jude spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor. The punch had loosened his tooth and split his lip.

Only a minute ago, the guard, all muscles, square jaw and teeth, had stood right in front of him with a satisfied smile after he’d knocked Jude’s tooth loose. Now he was gone.

But to where?

Zing! A blast of light shot over Jude’s left shoulder and slammed into the wall. The discharge had been so close Jude had felt the energy and the movement of air as it whizzed past.

While ceramic tile exploded into a dust cloud of debris, he made for the only real cover in the room—the security desk. He also wanted to draw fire away from Perry.

Another quick look for the guard. What the hell? The guy was gone again. How could he have gotten away that fast?

Show your ugly face and quit running away, you big hippo! he yelled.

Cursing under his breath, he scanned the room for his attacker. Still couldn’t see him, and insults didn’t bring him raging back, either. The guard had a definite advantage.

Time to get Perry out of here.

Jude skidded across the marble floor. With any luck, the guard wouldn’t choose this moment to reappear. His throat squeezed shut at the sight of the empty spot behind the planter where Perry should be. Just eff’n great!

Or maybe not so bad. But only if Perry had left through the tiny hole they’d made in the window. Somehow he didn’t think so. The hole had warped and stretched when the glass cracked, and it was barely there, now. So, where was the kid? Perry!

No reply. He cursed again. What if the security guard had him? How in the world would he get Perry back when the guard kept disappearing? This job should have been like a kindergarten class for a newbie agent like Perry.

Damn!

Hold it together, Black. He planted his hands on his hips and took another look around the room. The kid’s got to be here. He would have kicked up a ruckus if he’d been grabbed.

He looked at the reception desk again. It stood waist height, in a half circle, topped with screens and phones. Deep enough to give cover. Maybe the kid had managed to get under it.

Rounding the corner of the desk, he let out a breath. Perry had wedged himself into the corner. Kid! Why didn’t you transform and get out of here at the first sign of trouble?

You told me to take cover if anything happened. Besides, I couldn’t shift. Something is holding me like this, he said.

Now that he mentioned it, Jude felt strange too, as if his particles were being held in check. Yeah, I know what you mean, but that shouldn’t be possible in a human facility. Keep trying, and when you can, get the hell out of here.

Sweat broke out on his trainee’s face and he squeezed his eyes shut. Seconds later, his eyes flew open again. I still can’t.

Jude bit his lip and looked over his shoulder. No telling where the guard would turn up next. I guess that explains how the security guard appeared out of nowhere a few minutes ago. This facility isn’t running on a completely human scale. They’ve got some nonhuman weapons in use.

Is that possible, sir?

A few minutes ago I would have told you not a chance in hell, but it seems I would have been wrong. Only an idiot would believe this mission was a simple in and out. Surely the Undergovernment had some intel on this place before they’d sent him here. But, if so, why hadn’t they told him to expect something other than a human facility?

Thumb under his loose tooth, he shoved up until it crunched. Damn thing felt as if it was going to pop out. Why wasn’t it healing the way it should?

Suddenly, a sound, like a whisper of silk, struck a chord in his memory. He’d heard that same silky slide just before the guard had appeared the first time.

Jerking his head in the direction of the sound, a rip in space opened and the guard stepped through.

Surely this wasn’t human technology! This was even more advanced than anything his own people had devised, and they were the most advanced race on the planet.

The guard hunched his shoulders and flexed his massive frame. While his attention narrowed in on Jude, he pulled an unusual looking gun out of a holster on his hip. The same weapon that had pulverized the tiles moments before, no doubt. Jude could still taste the dust.

Without the ability to shift he’d be at a slight disadvantage. But humans stood little chance in an altercation with a Therian, even with a gun.

Mirroring the guard’s body language, Jude assumed a defensive stance. The guard was about to find out that being musclebound had its downside. Jude’s lithe, compact strength would put the man’s over-pumped, just-for-show body to shame in a fight.

Stay there, Jude said, with a quick glance at Perry. No worries. The kid didn’t look as if he had any intention of budging.

Before the guard even knew what had happened, Jude sprang into the air and kicked him under the chin twice.

The man’s droopy eyes opened wide, then squeezed shut while the impact of the kick vibrated up his jawbone and rattled those hippo teeth.

That’s for my tooth and for thinking you have the advantage. Next, Jude punched the big guy in the gut hard enough for him to want to woof his cookies.

The guard bent over and dropped to his knees. He’d be out of the way for at least a couple of minutes.

Good chance to snatch that weapon he’d never seen before. A bonus. Maybe that was why he had been sent here.

He shoved the gun into his back pocket and waved Perry out from under the desk. Let’s make tracks.

He wasn’t surprised when Perry didn’t move. He’d seen newbies react like this before. Jude bent over, grabbed his foot and physically hauled him out. He didn’t blame the kid. Especially since he’d had no official training for this kind of thing.

Looks like we need to do a little more research before we break into this building again, doesn’t it kid? He forced a little humor into his voice in an effort to lessen the kid’s disabling fear. Let’s go.

Perry stumbled along beside Jude. He didn’t have much choice since Jude had grabbed his shirt collar and was urging him along, as if he were a truant child.

I thought humans were the easiest to fight? Perry whimpered.

Not now, Perry. We need to get you out of here. Neither of them could shift into a small enough size, even if the eight inch escape hole they’d made in the plate glass window hadn’t narrowed to a mere slit. Jude whipped out the weapon he’d stolen from the security guard and shot out the window to create another escape route.

The safety glass shattered, then instantly melted from the heat. Glass lay like newly formed ice on the pavement. He whistled and took a second look at the weapon in his hand. Glancing back and seeing the guard getting to his feet, Jude managed to tuck the gun safely into his waistband. He’d take a good look at this baby later.

Move it! Or this could get ugly, Jude said, a little irritated by the kid’s inability to move fast enough.

Finally, Perry started to run. Jude felt relieved until they reached the melted glass. Watch your step, Perry, he said. It looks as slippery as . . . Instantly, Perry’s feet flew out from under him. Since Jude still had a death grip on the kid’s collar he went down too, damn it.

His elbows slammed into the pavement seconds before his head snapped back and made contact with the sidewalk. Blistering fireworks exploded then fizzled behind his eyes. Pushing past the fact that his head felt like a cracked egg, he forced himself to his feet. No time to wallow in pain. He had to get the kid out of here.

Shouting started inside the building, and the security guard bellowed, An aberrant has my Laser Repeater. Turn on the perimeter security.

Jude pursed his lips. Aberrant! He hated that prejudiced term. And—Laser Repeater? That’s what he’d grabbed from the guy? Geez! He’d never seen anything like it before. Proof that they were up to something other than medical research in this facility.

Suddenly, the air crackled and sparked around the building. Jude yanked back on the kid’s arm just as he was about to step into the innocent looking light. When they’d said perimeter security, he hadn’t expected this! Hold up, Perry.

A blue halo of electric current pulsed around the building. Unfortunately, they were still on the inside of the not-so-innocent blue light. At least not innocent to Therians.

This night just got worse and worse.

If it were possible to kick his own ass, he’d do it right now. He’d really bungled this job and good. These humans had shit-kicking weapons, and even worse they had an anti-Therian security arc. Which means, he said, more to himself than to Perry, they must’ve known we were coming. Kid, this is gonna hurt. But the faster you get through this stuff, the better. He grunted and threw Perry, screaming, through the blue haze. Jude dove through next. It burned like hellfire, and his flesh sizzled until he came out on the other side next to Perry, both of them worse for wear. Especially Perry.

Talk about indoctrination by fire, he joked, trying to keep Perry’s spirits up as they made for the parking lot. Of course, the kid was burned worse than Jude; he had no immunity against Therian security perimeters. It took decades of breaching them before a Therian could go through unscathed. He actually felt sorry for the kid as he remembered how much more that damned blue haze hurt inexperienced flesh.

Look on the bright side. You’ve just increased your knowledge over your fellow trainees by one hundred percent, he told the kid. With this kind of experience under your belt, you’ll have no problem getting accepted into the program.

The kid didn’t look the least bit thrilled by the news, and Jude’s instinct was to tell Perry to walk away from this job as fast as he could. But those were anti-Undergovernment words. Words that could be very unhealthy, if the wrong person got wind of them—or if anyone ever found out he’d spoken them.

So he kept his mouth shut. Still, his gut twisted.

Perry rolled pitiful eyes toward him, but he gritted his teeth and struggled to hurry to the small SUV. How long will the burns last, sir? His voice had gone gravelly because his lungs had been singed. Apparently he hadn’t known not to scream inside the haze.

Even though Perry’s uncle had sent him on this job, Jude felt personally responsible for the kid’s condition. That kind of pain stayed with a man. Jude had screamed the first time he went through a barrier, too. His lungs had been raw for a week.

He’d been through plenty during his years as an agent for the Undergovernment, and he’d experienced plenty of pain. He’d worked his ass off to make himself important in his field. And now, as a seasoned agent and one of the Undergovernment’s top operatives, whenever things went south, he was the first person they called to get whatever FUBAR operation back into shape. Is that why he’d been sent here tonight? If the Senate knew this wasn’t a solely human facility, why the shit would they send the kid along?

He cast a quick glance at Perry. Had to give him credit. He made it to the vehicle under his own power—that took strength of will and character—and he nearly managed to muffle the groan when he crawled into the SUV.

Let’s get out of here. Jude jammed his foot on the pedal and spun the tires as they sped away. All hell was breaking loose behind them, and he didn’t intend to be within ten miles of the place when it did.

I’m sorry this happened, he told the kid. It shouldn’t have, but one of the pitfalls of this job is you never know what’s going to occur. You always have to be on your guard. That was the most he dared say to deter the kid from a life of working as a Therian operative. He hoped it was enough.

Yes, sir, Perry said pitifully, sinking into the passenger seat and leaning his head back against the headrest.

We need to get you to a medic for a shot of Salixrin. You’ll heal faster when you’re not in pain.

Jude watched the building in his rearview mirror. Men were filling the lobby like ants pouring out of a nest. But they were too late. He and Perry would be long gone before the Eideroche people even made it to their vehicles to chase them.

The last image in his rearview mirror was the writhing blue light around the building. Ingenious, the way they’d made it look like a high tech light show for the humans. The ribbon of light twisted and moved in an intriguing pattern that, at the same time, highlighted the company’s logo on the front.

Ten minutes later, at the Therian safe house, Jude waited while a gruff medic tended to Perry’s burns. They always had one person on duty in case an agent got hurt. And since their jobs were often dangerous, Therians suffered their fair share of injuries. The small room at the back of the apartment complex used to be a storage room, but now, repainted and smelling like a hospital, it wasn’t much better. He’d take old mops over antiseptic any day.

Okay, kid? he asked.

Perry nodded tightly, obviously trying to ignore the pain. I’m fine.

The medic injected Perry with a syringe full of fluorescent green liquid before he began to dress the wounds. He didn’t say much, but his stony gaze sent Jude a message of recrimination for taking Perry into a situation where he could get a perimeter burn. Perry might be twenty-one, but he looked like he was seventeen.

Personally, Jude agreed with the medic’s opinion. It shouldn’t have happened. But some things couldn’t be said out loud. The Undergovernment had ears and eyes everywhere.

Finally, Perry’s eyes turned mellow. I’m better than fine now, he said, and gave Jude a lopsided grin.

Seeing the kid’s pain lessen allowed Jude’s tension to ease. Yeah? That’s great, kid. Have a good night’s sleep, and you’ll be nearly back to normal tomorrow.

Perry said, Thank you, sir. Then he drifted off to sleep.

Jude left the room. That damned weight on his shoulders didn’t feel much lighter. He hated that the Undergovernment had been so cavalier about sending an untrained kid with him on this mission. They had to suspect the place wasn’t simply a medical building, but a place that needed serious checking out.

Jude, on the other hand, was a trained agent, so he drove straight back to Eideroche. Besides completing his mission, he had to know what had happened to the unconscious woman he’d seen.

He sucked in a determined breath. In order to find out, he’d have to go through that damned blue halo again, but at least this one was nothing more than a deterrent. In Theria, perimeter security arcs not only burned, but they set off alarms when breached. Luckily, the one used at the human complex was rudimentary, although in Perry’s case, effective. The problem was that humans shouldn’t have any idea Therians even existed.

Once inside, he’d have to use nontraditional means to get past the guards and cameras. For about two seconds he considered his options. He should stick to his job. The woman wasn’t his problem, and he’d be breaking a dozen Therian protocols if he ended up helping her.

Still, he couldn’t get the image out of his mind of the woman’s limp body as the two grubs carried her across the lobby. Muscles in the back of his neck tightened, and his fingers clenched. She needed help, and there was a section of Therian law that he might be able to use to justify his going back for her. Eideroche obviously wasn’t a completely human facility, and under Therian law, if a nonhuman interacted with humans, Therians were allowed to investigate further, if they deemed it necessary.

His instinct was to stomp on the gas pedal and speed back to the medical building, but experience and training made him to take it slow. Odds were security wouldn’t expect him back tonight. That’d give him a tiny advantage.

A short time later he pulled into a parking lot a block over and walked to the medical compound. He still couldn’t get the woman out of his head. What were they doing to her? And who was she?

He stuck to the shadows until he got close enough to the building to feel the sizzle of the blue security arc. Gritting his teeth, he dove through it in an acrobatic tumble that ended in a crouch on the other side. Barely singed, he inhaled fresh air into his lungs and edged closer to the gaping hole where the window had been.

Two different men stood at the security desk—a guard and a suit. The hippo wasn’t around.

They’d heard the sizzling sound the arc made when he leaped through it, because he heard the suit say, Check that out, Charlie.

Probably another cat, the security guard said, but he got up from the desk and looked out the window.

Luckily, the barrier doesn’t affect cats or squirrels, or we’d have fried furbags every night.

The suit laughed, and Jude studied him. He had prematurely gray hair, cut in a skin hugging hairstyle. Anything there?

Nope. There’s nothing to worry about, the guard said.

He sat back down, and the two men continued what seemed to be a very serious discussion, if their expressions and hurried whispers were any indication.

Jude instantly felt the difference inside the building this time. They’d shut off the dampeners that had stopped them from changing shape earlier tonight. Maybe because the whole front window was gone and it affected their electronics. He shifted to shadow and slunk slowly through the lobby, clinging to the edges of the darkness where shadows occurred naturally. No one had ever found him in this form. Not even the Senate’s Therian sensors, and to his knowledge, they had the most sophisticated sensors ever created.

When the elevator doors opened with a ding, Jude took the chance of his shadow sliding across the well-lit center of the room. If anyone saw that, they’d know something was wrong. Still, he took the chance and made it to the elevator door and slipped inside. The two men broke from their huddle and frowned in his direction when the elevator spoke to him and asked what floor. He figured it must’ve been set off by a sensor when he stepped inside. They apparently had top-notch futuristic tech in the building.

What the hell’s going on tonight? the security guard mumbled.

Check the monitors for anything we can’t see.

Strange thing for a human to say, Jude thought, as he clung to the darkest corner and waited while the men scanned the monitors at the guard’s desk. Since they didn’t come running, he assumed they couldn’t rewind their camera feed at this point. They were just watching current footage.

Nothing there. Must be a glitch in the electronics.

Jude held his breath when it looked like the suit might step inside to check the elevator, but he slowly released it when the guard said, Forget it, Mack. You’re jumping at shadows. No one will try to break in here again tonight. They wouldn’t dare!

Jude almost laughed. They didn’t know that dare was his middle name.

When they settled back to normal dialogue, Jude reached out and manually pushed the close door button. Understandably on edge, the guards looked uncomfortable when the elevator doors started to close, but they didn’t take any action.

Jude reminded himself that he would have to be careful. Even if these humans knew everything about Therians, they’d never expect one to become invisible. As far as Jude knew he was one of a kind when it came to this talent, and he’d kept that secret from everyone—even his own family, and definitely the Undergovernment.

He watched the numbers as the elevator rose. The unconscious woman had been taken to the third floor. Hopefully, she was still there.

When he reached the third floor and the doors opened, he ignored the female voice wishing him a good day. He stepped out slowly and then moved along the wall so that even on the view monitors he’d look like mere shadows shifting in the hall. He checked the entire floor, then approached the only lit room. Glass walls gave him full view of what was going on inside a large laboratory.

Three men were in the room—the two goons who’d carried in the woman and a medical type. The woman lay on a steel table in the center of the room. Blood dripped from an IV into a bag hanging on a hook next to the table. Several monitors and other computers were hooked up to her. Data flashed and changed on the screens. Information from connections, probes and sensors on her body created a plethora of flashing lights and beeping noises.

The hawkish, thin man in the white lab coat used a pipette to drop blood into a sample bottle before putting it into an autoclave. He set the machine into motion.

The room wasn’t soundproof. Jude could hear everything going on in the room.

Hang on, she’s coming around, one of the other men, a lumbering, squat type, barked at the medical guy.

Let her wake up. She’s got enough drugs in her that she won’t remember a thing afterward, the medical guy stated as he shifted his stance.

Don’t forget, she’s a lot stronger than she looks, said the dark-haired man with a pronounced overbite. He looked more worried than the others.

That’s why you men are here, the man in the white coat growled, obviously impatient. Make sure you keep her under control because I can’t give her any more sedative right now. She’s already been given a massive dose. Anymore and it might kill her.

So what! The squat man moved toward her, reached out and cupped his filthy hand over one of her breasts, which was barely covered by her nightgown, then let his grubby paw drag down her body.

You’re kidding, right? the medic said. She’s a precious commodity, and don’t you forget it. And quit pawing her. At least when I’m in the room. He turned his attention back to the computer.

Jude’s anger spiked, but he forced himself to wait. He had to find out what these goons were up to before he gave himself away.

The man continued to feel her up. One breast, then the other, before he began to move down her body to more intimate places. Jude tasted blood as he bit his lip against his anger. Bastard!

Before he even realized what he was doing, he slammed the door open and barged into the room, losing his shadow image and becoming fully visible.

Get your goddamn hands off her, you pervert, he bellowed at the pawing goon.

Damn it, he should have a plan, he realized as all three men jerked their heads toward him, their expressions startled.

Who’s this clown? one of the kidnappers said to the other. And where’d he come from?

They seemed to have an inordinate number of musclebound yes-men working for this firm. At least these guys didn’t disappear and reappear at will.

Beats me? But let’s kick his ass, Vic.

Shit, Dave, did you have to use my name? the squat man said.

Jude laughed and responded to the first guy. Dave, you can try to kick my ass, but I’ll tell you now you’re going to be an oversized mound of hurting flesh by the time I’m done with you. Jude hadn’t been in a good fight for a while, and he stretched his shoulders in anticipation. Too bad these two weren’t able to give him the kind of opposition that would be fun.

Vic ran at him, wielding a shiny, new switchblade. He tossed it clumsily back and forth from one hand to the other. It was a wonder he didn’t cut himself. Why were idiots like these so plentiful in the thug world? It was almost as if they’d been spawned in the same gene pool.

Barely breaking a sweat, Jude grabbed Vic’s hand and twisted until he started screaming bloody murder. The knife shot out of his hand and slid under a nearby desk. Dave rushed forward to help his idiot friend, but not quick enough. Jude pushed Vic hard and knocked him backwards so that he slammed into Dave. Vic’s thick bulk obliterated Dave’s forward momentum and sent them both sprawling into a wall.

Jude waited, giving them time to get up. That alone had to be hard on their egos. Vic, clearly imagining himself a martial arts expert, took a stance he must’ve seen on television. He attacked in full Hollywood-ninja mode.

Jude countered in clean, swift movements. His right fist moved while his hip rotated to the left. With his elbow bent at a forty-five degree angle, he snapped out his hand quickly and struck his opponent’s Adam’s apple, then straightened and spun around and kicked out to hit Dave in the center of his chest. Both men went down hard, with barely a gurgle.

Next, Jude whipped his head in the direction of the man in the lab coat. Cowering in the corner, the doctor held up his hands. I’m a doctor, don’t hurt me, he said. I’m a prisoner here, too.

"Are you saying you’re doing these things to this woman against your will?" Jude asked.

The doctor nodded, his eyes filled with obvious terror. My name is Dromah. Can you help?

Jude searched the room. Maybe. If the guy wasn’t lying through his teeth. Take a seat over there, doc, he said in a don’t-mess-with-me tone. Then he leaned over and