Uncovering Project Arma Read online

  There was an agonizing silence where the commander stared down at her. She felt his fingers tighten on her arm before releasing her.

  “This could be classified as breaking and entering you know, Shylah. I should really call your boss about you entering the facility after hours.”

  Fear surged through Shylah’s chest. No. They would search her and find the information she’d stolen. Raw panic gnawed at her insides. She felt the USBs burning a hole in her pocket.

  “I’m sorry, commander. It… It won’t happen again.”

  Reaching into his pocket, the commander looked like he was about to pull out his phone when her own phone suddenly lit up with Eden’s face. She glanced up into the commander’s eyes. Pulling his hand back from his pocket, he took a step away from her.

  “Don’t let it happen again, Shylah.” Turning he walked toward the building.

  Shylah’s shoulders sagged in relief. Bending down over her knees she took a couple breaths before answering her phone.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey. You okay? You sound out of breath.”

  Shylah forced calm into her voice and started walking toward her car again, surprised her legs were carrying her.

  “I’m okay, Eden, just jogged to my car from the grocery store.”

  “You? Jogging?”

  Eden’s gravelly voice worked to calm her nerves. Unlocking her car door, Shylah sank into the driver’s seat.

  “Well, I have to try to keep up with you, sailor man.”

  “Good luck, I’m pretty quick.”

  Starting her car, she pulled out of the parking lot, putting more distance between her and the facility, feeling calmer as she went.

  “You coming over tonight?”

  She prayed he’d say yes. She needed his strength tonight.

  “Actually, I’m at your place. That’s the reason I called. I was disappointed at the sight of an empty house.”

  A smile tugged at Shylah’s lips. “I’ll be there in five.”

  “Drive safe, Shy.”

  Hanging up, Shylah’s happiness was short lived as her mind travelled back to what she’d found tonight. She pulled the USBs out of her pocket and threw them on the passenger seat. Opening the console, Shylah took out a stamped envelope that she’d already prepared. She knew that once she had the information, she’d need to get it to the government officials as quickly as possible.

  Pulling over at the closest mailbox, she popped a USB inside the envelope and sealed it. Then she picked up the second USB. She knew that she wanted to keep some of the information in case something went wrong. Pulling out a second envelope, this one addressed to someone she could trust with the information. Sealing that one too, she jumped out and dropped them in the mailbox.

  Once she settled back into the car, Shylah felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest. She’d done it. She’d gotten the information she needed, and Eden would be fine. In a couple of weeks, he would know the truth and there would be no more secrets between them. A smile crossed Shylah’s face as she started driving again. Everything would be okay.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  EDEN RAISED THE beer to his mouth as he watched the door of the bar. His team sat around him at the table in the back, but he paid them no attention. Shylah should be arriving at any moment. She was the focus of his thoughts.

  “You doing okay over there, Hunter?”

  Tearing his eyes from the door for a moment, Eden glanced across at Luca.

  “Yeah, Shylah should be here any minute.”

  Picking up his own beer, Luca glanced at the door himself. “Everything okay with you guys?”

  Eden hadn’t mentioned his concerns to his brothers yet, only Asher. “She’s incredible. I’ve never met anyone like her, but she’s hiding something from me.”

  Mason turned, tuning into the conversation. “Oh yeah? How do you know?”

  Shrugging, Eden focused his attention back to the door. “At first, it was just a gut feeling. Then she’d say things every so often and I could tell it was a lie. Like the other night she said she was at the grocery store but when she got home, she didn’t have anything with her. There are also moments when I say things about Project Arma and she gets this strange look on her face, like she wants to say something but then just changes the subject.”

  Wyatt leaned back in his seat next to Eden. “Have you spoken to her about it?”

  Of course, Wyatt would suggest that. He was the sensible one in the group, because voicing his concerns to the woman he cared about would be sensible, wouldn’t it.

  “No.”

  Shrugging, Wyatt sat forward again. “Do it. You guys are solid, Hunter. Have some faith in your woman.”

  Nodding, Eden loosened his grip on the bottle. Wyatt was right. He needed to man up and just talk to her about his concerns.

  “Maybe we should talk about what we came here to talk about?” Asher’s words pulled Eden’s attention back to the group.

  “Has it gotten worse for you too?” Luca asked with a grave tone.

  “Today I could hear the water dripping in a room on the other side of the hall.” Eden’s eyes narrowed. He’d heard that too.

  Oliver spoke with a quiet voice. “I felt stronger. So I wanted to test myself. I tried to tip my car. I did it. Didn’t even break a sweat.”

  There was silence before Kye spoke. “I’m faster than humanly possible. I went for a run and wanted to test my speed. I was quick. Too damn quick.”

  Wyatt slammed his beer down. Usually the calm one, every SEAL at the table took notice. “This isn’t biologically possible. What the hell is going on? Is there something happening at Project Arma that we’re not being told?”

  Turning back toward the bar door, Eden’s chest felt heavy. “Whatever it is, I think Shylah knows.”

  Seven pairs of deadly eyes turned to him.

  Oliver was the first to speak. “What do you mean ‘she knows’?”

  “I think that’s the secret she’s keeping from me.”

  Again there was silence around him. Eden knew what they were thinking, and they were right. This wasn’t just about Shylah and him, this was about all of them.

  Seeing Shylah enter the bar, Eden downed the rest of his beer and stood.

  “I’ll find out what’s going on.”

  Not waiting for a response, Eden moved toward her. Even though he knew she was keeping something from him, he couldn’t help but want her. Need her. This woman was an addiction for him.

  When he came to stand in front of Shylah, he reached for her waist, needing to touch her.

  “Hey.” Her voice was soft. Sweet.

  Seeing her smiling up at him, Eden questioned himself. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he’d misread the signs and she wasn’t hiding anything from him. Was that possible?

  “Hey.” Leaning down he placed a kiss on Shylah’s lips. Always so soft. “The guys are over there, but I’m sick of them. Dance with me?”

  Excitement sparkled in Shylah’s eyes. “Sure.”

  Taking her hand, Eden pulled her behind him as he moved toward the dance floor.

  “How was work?” He kept his voice light, casual.

  Looking down at her, regret filtered through Eden. There it was again. That hooded expression.

  “Same as usual. I was thinking about you the whole time, so that’s a positive.”

  Without a word, Eden pulled Shylah into his arms, close enough that he could feel her body pressed into him, but far enough so that he could still watch her face.

  “How is medical finding the results of the recovery drugs?”

  Her heart picked up. Eden definitely heard that. Even with the music playing and the sounds of the bar surrounding him, he heard her heart beat faster.

  “I think everyone’s happy with the results at the moment.” Concern filtered through her eyes. “Why? Are you doing okay?”

  “We’re fine.” Deciding to start pushing, Eden shared some more information with Shylah. “We were actually just
saying we feel some unusual side effects.”

  Shylah’s eyes got large. “Side effects? Like what?”

  The fear in her eyes meant she cared. It had to. Those feelings she felt for him couldn’t be fake, could they? The sincerity seemed too real. Then why was she hiding things from him?

  “We feel faster. Stronger. We can hear things that it shouldn’t be possible to hear. Our recovery from injuries is out of this world. Even our sense of smell has improved. I might talk to the commander about it before we leave for our mission tomorrow.”

  “No!” Shylah stopped moving and grabbed his arms so firmly her knuckles turned white. “I mean, don’t talk to the commander about your concerns. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  Eden stopped moving too. He was done with this bullshit. “What are you hiding from me, Shylah?”

  Shylah’s mouth moved but no words came out. Eden waited. She needed to talk to him, and he was going to wait until she did. Eventually she seemed to find her voice.

  “I… I can’t tell you.”

  Eden’s heart felt heavy. So it was true. There was something she wasn’t telling him. “If this is going to work between us, Shylah, I need you to be honest with me.”

  Shylah’s eyes darted around the room. He saw sweat starting to break out on her brow. “I can’t.”

  Turning, Shylah started to walk away. Eden followed and let her reach the hall before halting her with a hand on her arm.

  As he grabbed her arm, Eden felt her grimace in pain. Eden immediately withdrew his hand, angry at himself that he felt like he had no control over his strength.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t… Shylah, I feel like I have no control over what’s going on with me, and if you know something, I need to know.”

  Tears formed in Shylah’s eyes. She took a step into him. “Eden. You are… I mean, I care about you so much. I don’t even know how I got in so deep with you after such a short amount of time. And I have been hiding something and I’m so sorry for that. I just… I can’t tell you what it is right now, but I will. I swear to you, Eden. I will tell you everything once you get back from tomorrow’s mission.”

  Why only when he returned? He had so many questions he needed answers to. Frustration welled up inside him.

  “Eden I… I love you.” A tear slid down Shylah’s cheek. “I just want you to be safe. I promise I’ll tell you everything. Please don’t talk to the commander though. Just… trust me. Please.”

  She loved him. There was so much sincerity in her voice. “I love you too, Shylah.”

  Without warning, Shylah threw herself into Eden’s chest. Not hesitating, Eden wrapped his arms around her, lifting Shylah into him. “I want to tell you so badly, Eden, and I will.”

  Pushing his face into her hair, Eden breathed her in. “I know.”

  Did he though?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  FOR THE FIRST time in weeks, Shylah felt a calm settle over her body. It would all be okay. The heavy weight that had been sitting on her chest, making each breath feel like an effort, got a bit lighter.

  Not wanting to let go of Eden, Shylah knew eventually she would need to. Slowly untangling her arms, Shylah slid down Eden’s body.

  Pressing his forehead down to touch against Shylah’s, she shut her eyes and breathed him in.

  “Let’s get out of here.”

  The sound of his voice was like home to her.

  “I just need to go to the bathroom and then we can go.”

  Standing up straight Eden nodded. “Don’t take too long or I’m coming in there after you.”

  With a smile on her lips, Shylah turned and headed to the bathroom.

  When she came out of the stall, her eyes rose to her face as she washed her hands. The bags under her eyes even seemed a bit lighter if that was possible?

  About to turn, her body suddenly froze as a masked man walked out of the toilet stall next to the one she’d just vacated. It took her mind a moment to catch up with what she was seeing, and the man took advantage. Before she could utter a word, she was grabbed and shoved against the wall, knocking the wind out of her lungs.

  His hand reached up to her throat and her air supply was effectively cut off. Panic surged in her body as the ability to breathe was taken.

  “If you tell anyone about anything you think might be going on at Project Arma, you and he will die, got it?”

  As the panic took over, Shylah’s body struggled to comprehend the words being spoken. The hand suddenly released Shylah’s throat and she greedily sucked in any oxygen she could get. Then the hands latched onto her arms with a punishing grip. Her body was pulled away from the wall before she was shoved back onto it. Shylah’s head hit the tiles hard. Crying out in pain Shylah’s vision blurred.

  The man leaned in close to Shylah’s ear. “Tell me you understand, or I swear I’ll hurt you.”

  When the nausea hit, Shylah took deep breaths to stop herself from throwing up right there and then. She couldn’t speak even if she wanted to. Every inch of Shylah trembled.

  From the corner of her blurry vision she saw the man raise his fist and cringed back in defense waiting for the hit. It never came. In the next moment, the bruising fingers were wrenched from Shylah’s arms as the man was flung across the room. She could just make out Eden’s form as he launched himself at the man. There was a flurry of movement in the room. Was it the head injury or did the masked man seem just as strong and fast as Eden? How was that possible. She had a fleeting thought that he must be from the facility, but then the blood rushed from her head and she knew she was going down and wouldn’t be able to stop herself.

  “Eden.” The words were whispered before she felt her body falling. Her last memory was of Eden’s body lunging to catch her.

  Shylah woke up in her bed with the morning sun shining in. Reaching up, she felt the back of her head and grimaced. As the events of the night before came back to her, she took a few steadying breaths. She vaguely remembered a trip to the hospital where she was blacking in and out, then returning here, but it was all a blur.

  Turning toward the edge of the bed, Shylah was about to swing her legs over when her bedroom door opened.

  “Don’t even think about it, Shylah. You are on bed rest until further notice.”

  Looking up and seeing Eden enter the room, Shylah’s insides settled.

  Before Eden could fully sit on the edge of the bed, Shylah leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck. She breathed him in. Needing his strength.

  “How are you feeling, Shy?”

  Like she had a jackhammer going to work at the back of her skull. Seeing the worry in Eden’s eyes and not wanting to make it worse, she went with a less dramatic answer. “I’ve been better but I’m not too bad.”

  She tried a smile and saw Eden’s disapproving look. “Liar.”

  Well she was, so that was fair. As her mind drifted back to the masked man a shiver ran up her spine. “Thank you, Eden, for saving me. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

  Eden’s strong arms enveloped Shylah and she felt like she was in a cocoon of safety.

  “When I heard you cry out and saw that asshole on you, I could have killed him.”

  Leaning back, Shylah looked up at Eden. “What did you do with him?”

  The anger shone through Eden’s eyes as he ground his teeth. “He got away. I heard you call out for me and I wasn’t going to let you hit the ground. You take priority, Shylah. Always.”

  Shylah didn’t know what to say. On one hand, she was relieved that Eden wouldn’t be able to question him and find out what was going on before the government stepped in. On the other hand, there was a psychopath still out there who attacked her.

  “What did he want, Shylah? What did he want you to understand?”

  Shylah nibbled her lip. “That… that thing I can’t tell you until you get back from your mission. He didn’t want me to tell you that.”

  Eden’s hand came down to rest on top of Shylah’s. “Shylah, I need
to know what you’re hiding. It’s jeopardized your safety.”

  No, she couldn’t tell him yet. She needed more time. “I can’t, Eden.”

  Eden watched her for a moment before standing and turning. Running his hand through his hair, his frustration was thick in the air. “Dammit, Shylah. This isn’t a game. That guy who attacked you last night wasn’t just some thug. He was well trained. He could have killed you.”

  Shylah flinched at Eden’s raised voice. He’d never spoken to her like that before. She had to hold firm though. “I’ll tell you when you get back from your mission.”

  “I’ve already told my commander I’m not going. The team is leaving in an hour so you can tell me now.”

  Shylah’s heart sped up. “Eden, you have to go.”

  If he didn’t go, what would happen? Shylah had set it all up with the government agency. They would raid the facility while Eden and his team were away and when they got back, they would all be safe. What happened if people at Project Arma got wind of what was going on and Eden was here within arm’s reach?

  “Well, I’m not, so you may as well tell me what you’re hiding.”

  Shylah dropped her head into her hands. She’d give him part of the truth. She could do that.

  Raising her head, Shylah watched Eden. “There’s something you don’t know about Project Arma. It’s big. It involves the commander and everyone working there. Only your team doesn’t know. I… I need you to go on your mission so I can tell you the details when you get home. By then it will be safe to tell you everything, Eden. I have a really good reason, I promise you. Please. Have faith in me. Have faith in us.”

  Eden was silent for a moment.

  “I won’t risk your safety, Shylah.”

  “I will be safe, Eden. I’m going to lock myself in this house and not leave.”

  “I want you in a safe house.” A safe house? “I own a house in the country. It has a top security system and is fully stocked and ready to go. I want you there until I return. I’ll come get you when I get back.”