to her finger.
Seth closed the door behind them, sealing them inside.
The interior of the house was huge. On Lisa’s left lay a dining room that boasted a long, gleaming table with at least thirty chairs pulled up to it. On her right and stretching out in front of her was an enormous living room. When Marcus and Amiriska strode through it toward a hallway on the opposite end, Lisa followed. Her heart began to pound once more as two to three dozen men and women rose from a multitude of sofas, love seats, and wingback chairs. Every man was over six feet tall with broad shoulders. All but one or two of the women were petite like Lisa and Amiriska. All wore black. All watched Lisa with piercing eyes. And all were within arm’s reach of the shitload of gleaming katanas, shoto swords, daggers, and sais that littered almost every available surface.
Lisa hadn’t been this terrified since the night she and Taelon had escaped the base.
The toddler tightened her grip on Lisa’s finger.
Again, Lisa’s fear drained away. Or most of it, anyway. And when it did, she realized that the men and women weren’t watching her with malice or leers or nefarious intent but with curiosity and… concern?
“Melanie.”
Lisa jumped when Seth spoke. She hadn’t realized he was right behind her. The man made no sound at all when he moved!
A pretty brunette Lisa’s height left the crowd and moved toward them, her brow furrowed. A handsome man, as tall as Taelon’s six foot two or three, his black hair falling beneath his shoulders, followed on Melanie’s heels.
Another woman who must be nearly six feet tall stepped around… a large, partially gift-wrapped box surrounded by torn paper and curly ribbon?… and approached Seth. As soon as she reached his side, she slipped her hand into his.
Marcus and Amiriska continued down the hallway and ducked through a doorway.
Lisa hurried to catch up with them, the toddler trotting along beside her.
When she stepped through the doorway, Lisa’s eyes widened as she took in a spacious, very modern infirmary.
How big was this freaking house?
A wall that was tiled to about waist height, then double-paned glass above with blinds in between that could be closed, divided the room into two sections. The section on the left boasted a row of neatly made beds bracketed by comfortable-looking chairs and bedside tables. Large-screen televisions hung on the wall opposite them. Beneath the TVs, shelves bore an assortment of electronic gaming devices, chessboards, tattered decks of cards, and a large selection of books.
The section on the right looked like a hospital operating room. Every surface gleamed, antiseptically clean, beneath lights so bright they hurt her eyes. Several surgical or exam tables occupied much of the floor space but, nevertheless, allowed room for a conglomeration of medical machinery Lisa couldn’t identify.
Marcus gently lowered Taelon to the nearest table.
Lisa pushed forward and took one of Taelon’s hands. He was so pale, the rise and fall of his chest shallow. And the heat pouring off him indicated his fever had risen.
Seth motioned to Melanie and the long-haired man behind her. “This is Dr. Melanie Lipton and her husband, Bastien.” He then gestured to the tall woman. “This is my wife, Leah. Ami already introduced Marcus.”
Melanie grabbed a pair of vinyl gloves from a nearby box and looked at Seth. “You said he’s been tortured?”
“Yes.” Seth moved to stand on the opposite side of the bed beside Marcus.
Amiriska stood at the head of the bed, brushing the hair back from her brother’s forehead. “I still can’t believe it,” she whispered. Tears spilled over her lashes as she met Lisa’s gaze. “I never thought I’d see any of my family again.”
Before Lisa could respond, Melanie stepped up beside her with a pair of oddly angled surgical scissors in one hand.
Marcus glanced down at the toddler who still clung to Lisa’s finger. “Adira, honey, go play with Michael in the living room while we help Mommy’s brother feel better.”
“Okay, Daddy,” Adira replied, her pretty face somber.
Fear and anxiety returned with a vengeance as soon as the child released Lisa, seeming to grow with every step the child took. As everyone else focused on Taelon, Lisa’s heart began to race. Her breath quickened. Her grip on Taelon’s hand tightened.
Melanie cut away Taelon’s shirt, then peeled away the bandages. Gasps and swears filled the room as she revealed the long, angry red incision that bisected his chest and abdomen, as well as the mass of other