He held himself still, forcing down the need to protect her. He’d kill the colonel himself if he thought it would bring her some peace. But he suspected it wouldn’t.
She drew back her fist and lashed out, punching him in the face. Blood spurted from his nose. He swayed but didn’t go down and she whipped around and kicked out. Her booted foot landed in the center of his chest, and he crashed to the floor with the force of the blow. He lay for a moment, unmoving.
Then he pushed himself onto his elbows, blood streaming down his face, but still he made no move to defend himself. His lack of reaction seemed to enrage her, and her hands fisted at her sides.
“Get up,” she growled.
He shook his head, as though clearing his mind, but he stayed where he was. Sensible man. She reminded Kane of Kpo, the leopard, her eyes filled with death.
“You gave Sam to them,” she said, and Kane could hear the pain tearing up her voice. “You’d known him all his life, and you handed him over like some sort of lab rat who didn’t matter. Who wasn’t even human.”
“They wanted you. It was the only way I could save you.”
“I didn’t want to be saved at that price. He was always better than me. It should have been me.” She turned away for a moment, then her shoulders sagged, and she turned back to him. “I’d kill you if I could. But the truth is, it won’t bring Sam back. And really, you’re no more guilty than I am. I should have taken him away from you. I should have kept him safe.”
Sadie approached her, wrapped her arm around Kaitlin’s shoulder and whispered in her ear. She nodded and allowed herself to be led away. They both sat on a sofa at the edge of the room, Sadie rubbing Kaitlin’s hands.
But the explosion had been averted and nobody had died.
Christa helped her father to his feet. Someone else handed him a towel, and he wiped the blood from his face. Kane had a brief glimpse into the man’s mind. The colonel was surprised he was alive. He’d been expecting the attack for years and had truly believed Kaitlin would kill him. And he didn’t blame her.
The colonel had hated himself for a long time. He too had seen the files.
They were all going to have to get over the guilt and learn to move on. Bad times were coming, and they needed to work together.
Kane had been expecting Jake to take control of the meeting, but he was leaning against the wall at the back of the room, his arms folded across his chest. He caught Kane’s gaze and raised an eyebrow.
Kane sighed and stepped forward to stand in the center of the room. All around him the murmur of voices filled his head and in his ears. “Quiet,” he said.
The room fell silent. He caught Jake’s gaze again and the other man nodded, giving his approval. Kane could speak for all of them.
“This is the year many of us have been waiting for. Unfortunately, we still don’t know why or what the year will bring. But we need to plan—in case the worst happens—so at least some of us survive.
“That means immediate evacuation of non-essential personnel to our base in Australia. We’ll decide who fits that description once we’ve agreed on our next move. Ethan and Sadie will arrange transport and other logistics, since they’ve been working over there.”
He half expected at least some of them to argue, and he glanced to where Ethan sat, but the other man just gave a brief nod. Good.
“There are two things we need to consider—the mission and the cataclysm. And I think we have to presume that the two are related.”
“So,” Kaitlin said. “If we decide that the mission is what causes the cataclysm, then it’s sorted. No mission. No cataclysm. A win-win.”
Kane had been building toward the mission all his life. He’d always believed that was the reason they were here. But at her words, he had a sudden inkling of how his life would be like if the mission just...went away. Because she was right. It was no coincidence; he didn’t believe in coincidences.
They could just get on and...what?
Maybe build that better world she dreamed of. A world with no more lies.
Unfortunately, nothing was ever that simple. “Maybe we’ll get lucky,” he said. “But if we don’t…”He didn’t believe in luck any more than he believed in coincidences.“We’ve been given an opportunity to find out more.” He relayed the information regarding the attack on Kaitlin for those who hadn’t been present last night. Then he gave a brief overview of the plan they’d come up with to draw the attackers out, using Kaitlin as bait—but with certain provisos.
He still hated the idea, but it was the best they had. And he also understood her need to do something, to be proactive. He’d been waiting all his life, always feeling as though the rest of his existence was on hold. Maybe that was why he’d always found it difficult to forge relationships. Or maybe he was just a miserable loner bastard.
He glanced at Kaitlin; she appeared slightly stunned. No doubt she’d been anticipating more of a fight. Perhaps he was finally beginning to understand her. Fight the fights you have a chance of winning.
Chapter 12
Wow.
She’d been expecting a few more objections—which of course she would have ignored.
