Turning Payne

In a haze, Riley walked to the living room and sat down heavily on the couch. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, but her mind kept drifting to the weird shrine Turner had constructed in the other room. No wonder he hadn't brought her here. But why the other apartment?

  Closer to spy on her.

  She shivered. The printout was still clutched in her fist, the paper damp from her sweaty palms.

  The ping of the elevator sounded behind her and the smell of pizza made her mouth water. Lora murmured something, and then there was a thump.

  "Lora?" There was no response, just the sound of the elevator closing. "Is everything okay?"

  "Everything will be fine, Riley." Her father's familiar voice sliced through her heart.

  It couldn't be.

  She stood slowly. Her legs shook, and she was certain they would give out on her at any moment. Time seemed to slow down, the seconds stretching out like minutes. She clenched her teeth and turned, her breath leaving her in a gush, as if she had been sucker punched in the gut.

  Two dark, burly figures stood in the hallway, their weapons trained on her. But it was the man between them that held her attention.

  "Dad?"

  "Hello, Riley."

  There were a few new lines around his eyes, his dark hair now streaked with silver, but there was no denying that the man was her father.

  She shook her head, the urge to cry, to run to him, battling with the new knowledge of what he'd done, who he really was.

  He put his hand up and the men lowered their weapons. He took a step forward and she started back. Through the gap between him and his men, Riley could see Lora's body laid out on the floor.

  "What did you do to Lora?"

  "It's just a sedative. It'll wear off in a couple hours." He smiled, blue eyes watching her carefully. His voice was calm, controlled, as if speaking to a small child. "I'm here to bring you home, Riley."

  "Home?"

  He nodded and held out his hand. "No one has to get hurt. Just come with me and I'll explain everything."

  She took an uneasy step backwards. The two goons beside her father raised their weapons. Would he shoot her if she tried to run?

  "I don't know what these…things have told you, but I'm not the enemy."

  His eyes glittered with something she'd never noticed before—insanity, dark and twisted. What would he do if she refused? She glanced at Lora's unmoving body.

  "If I go with you, you promise to leave Lora alone?"

  His lips curved up. "Of course."

  Despite his reassurance, fear continued to ride inside of her. But what were her choices?

  Forcing herself to clamp down on the anger, she walked to the elevator. Lora's chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. She was alive. The pizza lay discarded on the floor beside her, making Riley wonder what had happened to the delivery boy.

  The elevator opened and one the guards nudged her forward.

  "I'm sorry that I had to keep things from you." The doors shut and they began descending. "But now that you know, we can go back to the way things were. Once Kiera is back to—"

  She turned on him. "You know about what happened to her?"

  He reached out and stoked her cheek, the touch sending a shiver of revulsion down her spine. "I'll make everything all right. Now that I have you both back—"

  The elevator doors opened, and a deep reverberating snarl echoed through the small enclosure.

  Turner.

  Turner's eyes widened, a myriad of emotions storming beneath his silvery eyes. He looked at her, at the hand the rested against her cheek, and she swore she could see betrayal flash across his expression. Whatever it was, it was quickly replaced by rage.

  Her father's men cocked their weapons. Turner drew just as quickly.

  "No." She jumped in front of Turner, blocking him from the men's aim.

  "Move out of the way, Riley," Turner growled in her ear.

  Her father's eyes narrowed, his lips curled up in disgust. "Let us through, boy, and I'll let you live."

  She spun around and placed her hands on Turner's chest. "Please, let us go."

  His eyes searched hers, brows drawn down. She couldn't breathe, thinking he would attack, knowing her father wouldn't hesitate to open fire on him.

  Turner gave a brisk nod and moved away from the door, placing his weapon on the ground.

  Riley let out an unsteady breath. "Thank you."

  He snarled in response, but stayed back as they exited the elevator. The men kept their weapons trained on Turner.

  A black van waited for them. The side door opened as they approached.

  "Get in," her father ordered.

  She hesitated, glanced back at Turner and mouthed, "I'm sorry."

  Turner stiffened, and then she saw it—a flash of the animal within him.

  Oh God, no. He was going to attack. She opened her mouth to scream, to stop him, but it was too late. The animal seemed to tear from his skin. It happened so fast that her father's men barely had time to react as the lion lunged at them. His teeth sunk into the first guard's shoulder. The man dropped the weapon in a howl of pain.

  The second guard fired, grazing the lion's leg.

  The lion roared.

  "Stop." She rushed at the man, knocking the gun out of his hand.

  Another shot rang out, this time behind her, and she watched in horror as the lion crumpled before her. She fell beside him, digging her fingers into his thick mane.

  "You killed him," she screamed, running her hands over his thick coat, trying to find a wound.

  "It was a tranquilizer dart. He'll be fine." He motioned to his men. "Put him in the van."

  The two guards looked at each other uneasily. The one with the wounded shoulder spoke, "Circe's going to be pissed if you bring him in."

  Her father gave a hard, cold laugh. "I'll deal with Circe. Payne knows too much. Now get him in the van before we have more company."

  The men grimaced and moved towards her, towards Turner. Her father gripped her tightly by the arm and jerked her up.

  "You're a monster," she hissed, peeling his fingers away.

  "I'm not the monster, they are." Spittle flew from his lips. His features savage, tight with anger. Eyes once so familiar held a feverish gleam. "Now, get in the van."

  The second guard's discarded gun lay a couple feet from her, hidden beneath the tire of the van.

  A hard, rough breath shuddered through her as she realized what she had to do. "Never!"

  She dove for the gun, but her fingers barely wrapped around the handle when another shot fired. A piercing pain tore through her neck. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. She fell forward as darkness consumed her.

  Chapter 18

  Turner blinked at the blinding florescent lighting. His head ached as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to his skull. Naked, he shivered against the cold metal bed. The room was sterile. White concrete walls caged him in on three sides, and thick metal bars secured his prison.

  Fucking Richard Boyd. He should have taken the man out the moment he saw him, but he'd hesitated—because of Riley, the look on her face. She'd pleaded with him, those big green eyes desperate, begging him not to attack.

  He slammed his fist on the bed. The vibrations sent violent pangs through his head. He groaned and rolled to a sitting position, ignoring the nausea that threatened to empty the contents of his stomach.

  She'd played him all this time. He'd seen it in her eyes, begging him not to attack. He'd been so stunned, that he'd almost let Boyd walk away. Fuck, if he'd just taken the man out when he saw him, he wouldn't be in this mess.

  How had he not known, not seen the deception behind those haunting green eyes? She'd brought the man into his apartment, his home. Fear surged through him at what they'd done to Lora.

  He gripped the edge of the bed and allowed his eyes to adjust to the lights. The scent of antiseptic overpowered the other fainter smells—humans, metamorphs, and a familiar scent he couldn't place.

&nb
sp; A door opened at the end of the long corridor and Turner stiffened.

  Riley's sweet, intoxicating—deceitful–scent lingered down the long hall, clouding his brain.

  Her lips trembled as she approached the cage. The uncertainty in her eyes confirmed his suspicion. She was guilty. He could smell the fear radiating off her in waves. She was right to be afraid, mate or not, she would pay for deceiving him.

  He flicked his gaze over her and scowled, all the anger he'd ever felt for her father now directed at her. "Why are you here?"

  Riley sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. She blinked several times, then shook her head. Her cheeks turned pink as her gaze roamed down his body.

  "I brought you these." She held out a pair of green hospital pants.

  Every cell in his body cried out to touch her. He pushed away the dangerous mix of lust and affection that stirred at the sight of her. She was the enemy and yet his animal still growled with a possessiveness that shocked him to his core.

  He grabbed the pants, and shoved his legs through, then tied the flimsy string around his waist.

  There was a clicking sound at the end of the hall.

  Riley glanced over her shoulder nervously. "I don't have much time. I convinced him to let me see you, but he's got us both under surveillance." She gave a subtle nod at a small camera in the corner of Turner's cell.

  "Looks to me like I'm the only prisoner here." He tucked his chin and glared, taking a calculating step towards her. She was close enough to the cage that he could easily wrap his hands around her throat. Just how much was Boyd willing to sacrifice for his research?

  Her eyes widened. She stared at him for a long tense moment. When she spoke, her voice was gritty with emotion. "What are you saying?"

  "Don't bullshit me. You played me. Made me think you were innocent." His fists clenched at his sides. "Fucked me like I actually meant something to you."

  A small gasp escaped her lips. He slapped his palms against the metal bars and she jumped back.

  His eye twitched, his breathing ragged. "But you're just like him—cold, deceptive…heartless."

  She glared back at him, her expression twisted with disbelief. For a moment, he thought that maybe he'd been wrong, but then she straightened her shoulders, and her eyes went flat, unemotional, uncaring.

  "You think I knew about this? That I used you?" She moved towards the cage, a challenge in her expression. "What about you, Turner? I saw your office. The pictures you took of Kiera and me. How long have you been spying on us? Months, years? Was sleeping with me just another way to get close to my father? Maybe he's right. You really are nothing but an animal."

  Fury washed over him. His arm shot through the bars and she gasped as his thick fingers wrapped around her delicate neck.

  "Turner." His name was a hoarse cry on her lips. She dug her fingernails into his hands and wheezed, "Stop."

  His lion snarled, but not at her, at himself. Fuck, what was he doing? He released her, and she fell back, grasping her neck, coughing.

  The door at the end of the hall flew open and two guards rushed in, their weapons drawn. Boyd followed behind them. He raked Turner with a disdainful sneer before turning to Riley. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she recoiled away from him.

  "You chose this"—Boyd pointed at Turner—"over your own father?"

  Turner froze. Chose him?

  "You see what he is, what they all are." Boyd spat at Turner's feet. "Uncontrollable animals."

  She tilted her chin and turned her glare on Boyd. "The only animal I see here is you."

  The man's eyes were cold, merciless, his gaze indifferent even as he looked at his daughter. So different from the fire and passion in Riley's steady, green gaze. Was it possible that she hadn't deceived him? But then how did Boyd get into his apartment, and why had she stopped him from attacking the man?

  Turner reached into her mind, searching for the truth. She glared at him as if sensing what he was doing. He could feel her pain, the anger that she tampered down so tight that it festered like an open wound.

  "Riley." Turner reached out and grabbed her hand as she moved past him.

  The guards reacted quickly, their weapons trained on his chest.

  "Take your hands off my daughter, Payne."

  Turner didn't move or break eye contact with Riley. With the skin-to-skin contact, he was able to push further into her mind.

  It will be all right. I'll get out us out of here.

  You'll get us both killed, she pushed back, startling him enough that he dropped her hand. Did she even know what she'd done?

  "He has Kiera," she said softly, so that only Turner could hear.

  I know. And there was the reason she wanted her father alive. He understood it now, and he felt like the fool he was for not trusting her.

  She shook her head and looked down at the floor. "Why?"

  He thought she was talking to him, until she moved slowly towards Boyd.

  "Tell me why you did it? What could make you hate so much that you'd be willing to kill innocent people?"

  "Innocent?" Boyd's voice was a mocking cry. "You've seen what he is, what he can do. He's a predator, his only instinct survival. He doesn't care who he harms in the process."

  "You know nothing about me," Turner growled, feeling his canines elongate, his lips curling over them in a fierce scowl.

  "I know more about you than you think, boy. You're all the same. Savage killers. You see humans as weak, inferior—prey."

  Turner snarled, his lion rising to the challenge. "Was it your father?" Boyd's head snapped in his direction. For a second, fear flashed in the man's eyes, it was there and gone, but it was enough for Turner to know he'd been right. "He was a metamorph, right?"

  Boyd moved forward slowly, stopping an arm's length from the cage. "Keep your mouth shut."

  Riley moved silently behind Boyd, her eyes trained on the ring of keys on the guard's belt. Keep him talking, she pushed into Turner's mind.

  Turner's mouth dropped open and he had to shake his head to focus. She was communicating with him telepathically. It was almost unheard of even among metamorphs and usually only between mates or siblings. If he had any doubts that she was his mate, this connection proved otherwise.

  He drew his gaze back to Boyd.

  "Is that why you hate us, because you could never live up to daddy's expectations?" Turner mocked, pacing the bars of the cage, distracting the men. "Just a regular human. Did he resent you for it?" Turner laughed deep in his throat. "It wasn't enough to hate us, you wanted to be us. That's why you created the serum, so you could make daddy proud."

  "You know all about daddy issues, don't you?" Boyd's face was a dark shade of red. His eyes bulged and a thick vein on his forehead pulsated with fury. "Or is it mommy issues? Abandoned at such a young age. And then your father—" Boyd clicked his tongue and shook his head. "He put a bullet in his own skull, didn't he?" He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled arrogantly. "Oh well, one less metamorph to pollute the earth."

  "My mother didn't abandon us." Turner forced the words past gritted teeth. "You took her, used her in your experiments. I saw the licence plate as the car drove away. It was your car."

  Boyd threw his head back and laughed. "Is that what you think, that I abducted her?"

  His eyes gleamed with hidden knowledge, and Turner shivered.

  Behind him, Riley reached for the guard's key. She pressed the release on the ring and slowly pulled them free. The guard scrunched his forehead and looked down.

  Turner wrapped his fingers around the cold bars and roared. It had the desired effect. The guard's attention diverted back to him.

  "Enough," Boyd said, flicking his wrist. "Get use to your new home. You're finally where you belong, in a cage."

  Boyd turned on his heel and walked away. The guards followed, giving Riley the opportunity to pass Turner the keys.

  He gripped the back of her neck, tangling his fingers in the hair at the nape of her neck. "I'
m sorry," he said gruffly, rubbing his thumb over the faint bruises on her throat.

  She gave a sharp nod and whispered, "He has to live. He may be the only one who can save Kiera."

  He narrowed his eyes and then let out a sigh of compliance. She gave him a small smile in return.

  "Get out of here when you can."

  He shook his head. Not without you.

  "Riley," Boyd shouted. "Unless you want to join him in a cell, I suggest you follow me."

  Turner dropped his hand.

  "I can't leave Kiera." She hesitated briefly, then walked towards her father.

  His jaw clenched and unclenched as he held back his frustration. Did she have any clue what it cost him to let Boyd walk away? He placed his forehead against the cool bars and closed his eyes. But walk away was what he would have to do, if he was ever going to be able to claim his mate.

  Chapter 19

  Riley stood silently behind the one-way mirror and watched as two of her father's men injected her sister with another series of shots. The lion roared, her muscles rippling unnaturally under the restraints. For a moment, Riley thought the animal's face became slightly more human, its limbs stretched and elongated, but then just as quickly the lion lay still, unmoving on the cold, metal table.

  Four days had passed since her father had brought her there. Four days since she had seen Turner. Had he escaped or was he still a prisoner? She breathed out heavily and placed her forehead and palms against the cold glass.

  The door behind her opened, but she didn't turn, knowing the monster who stood behind her.

  "We're close," her father said. His once dulcet voice sent a chill down her spine.

  "You're killing her." Riley straightened and rubbed her hands over the goosebumps on her bare arms.

  "She's strong and the serum seems to be working." He placed a cool hand on Riley's shoulder and turned her towards him. "I will fix this."

  For a moment, Riley saw the man who had had raised her. The man who had read to her at night, who had kissed her cuts and bruises when she was little, had rocked her back to sleep when she had nightmares. A part of her wanted to wrap her arms around him, to trust him to make everything better—but this wasn't the father she knew. The man in front of her was the cause of nightmares, not the protector of them.