"Thank you, Mackenzie. I'll do that."
"My friends call me Mac," she said, then waved a hand in Kira's direction. "That's Kira Locke. She's new, too."
"Hi," Kira said, waving.
"Hello."
Mac went on, capturing his attention again. "Anyway, as a doctor I wanted to say that you might want to slow down on the food, especially if the team intends to spar with you later. You'll end up getting sick."
His humor faded and he laid his fork on the table, lowering his eyes in obvious embarrassment. When he looked up again, he nodded. "Good advice. Thanks." Wiping his mouth on a napkin, he stood. "I'll see you ladies later, right?"
They chimed an agreement and watched the Sorcerer's delectable backside disappear through the door.
"I'm such an idiot," Mac groaned, slapping her forehead. "Why'd I have to go and say something so stupid?"
Kira patted her friend's arm as she returned to their table. "Hey, you were only expressing a valid concern, and you were right. Eating like that when you're not used to so much food will make a person ill. He'll get over it."
"I hope so."
"Ready to get started in the lab?" The distraction worked, though it really was time for them to go.
"Ready as I'll ever be." She grimaced as Kira rose. The two of them left and started for the clinic. "They aren't a pretty sight, and I don't mean just because they're dead."
She tried not to think about it too much as they headed for the lab. But the condition of the bodies was hard to ignore when they walked into the large sterile room wearing their gowns, masks, and latex gloves.
Each of the men lay on a metal table, spread far enough apart so everyone could work around them without running into one another. Kira wasn't surprised to find Nick already there, waiting with Dr. Mallory. He was the boss and he'd want to know what they found. But she was a bit taken aback to find Jax present, leaning negligently against a wall, his steely blue eyes all but devouring her the second she entered. She couldn't look away.
Like Nick, he wasn't wearing protective clothing. Low-rise jeans hugged his hips and his biceps bulged even more from his arms being crossed over his yummy chest. His lips quirked, the dark humor in his expression doing nice things to his handsome face. Things that made lunch churn in her stomach and made her long to drag him off, throw him down, and have her wicked way with his sexy body for the rest of the afternoon.
He winked and she shook her head, breaking eye contact. Wasn't she supposed to be mad at him? She didn't feel upset at the moment-just really hot between her thighs. Damn it.
Dr. Mallory claimed everyone's attention. "Let's get things rolling, shall we? First of all, let's make sure we all know why we're here. The autopsies have already been performed, and the coroner was quite thorough. Did everyone have a chance to study the copies this morning?"
Answers were affirmative all around, including those from two techs Kira had met earlier but didn't yet know very well.
"Good. Our purpose here is not to redo what was already done, but rather to think outside the box. To study the victims, taking into account all that we know so far, and to try to create a portrait of not only what happened to these four men, but what might be going on in the big picture."
The woman was a pro, even if she was sort of aloof.
The doc glanced at a tablet on which she'd written her notes. "All four victims have ligature marks clearly visible at their wrists and ankles. They were underweight at the times of their deaths, but not mortally so. Each victim has scarring from very precise wounds made with a sharp instrument, such as a scalpel. From this scarring, at various stages of healing at the time of death, we can surmise that tissue was removed from them-while alive-at regular intervals. Their bodies were pumped full of an array of drugs as well."
Kira began to regret eating lunch before this. Scientists weren't always able to turn off their sensitive button.
"They were held captive," Nick said. "And they endured some form of experimentation."
"That would be my guess," she agreed. "The question is, for what purpose? I believe that the tissue samples Kira liberated from her former employer, not to mention the connection these four men have with one of their alleged killers who was wearing the company's logo, might provide some answers. Ones we're not going to like."
"The men who dumped the bodies aren't necessarily the murderers," Jax pointed out. "They might be the lackeys doing the disposal."
Nick nodded. "True."
"Whatever the case, my initial findings indicate that the changes in the DNA and gene strands undergone by both Kira's tissue samples and ones taken from these men are almost identical. The implications of these changes are quite alarming."
Jax shifted, his expression uneasy. "Nick and I spoke with Kira about the tissue data she found on Dr. Gene Bowman's computer. Are these the types of changes you're referring to?"
"I'm afraid so. In layman's terms, my professional opinion is that someone is taking humans-willing or not-and attempting to force their bodies to take on animal characteristics."
"They're creating shifters," Nick said, seething with anger.
"Or something like that, yes." She waved a hand at the bodies. "And this, in my opinion, is indication that they haven't yet perfected the process."
The idea was stunning. "And then they just dump them like trash," Kira whispered. "That's sick." Jaxon looked like he wanted to cross the room and hold her, but didn't. Instead, he carried her thoughts a step farther.
"It's totally fucked up. If they can figure out how to mass-produce shifters, bypassing natural methods like mating or biting and clawing, which don't always work, just think how that would affect the world as we know it."
"And if they're imbuing them with any other special talents, like your Psy abilities, or if the targeted humans already possess those abilities . . ." Dr. Mallory let the statement hang, the meaning ominous.
Nick stared at her. "The entire human race could be in real danger within a matter of years. They'd be the low rung on the hierarchy of intelligent beings. My God."
Jax pushed away from the wall. "We can't let that happen, but to stop them we have to know for sure if the doctors at NewLife are the ones responsible, and how high up the food chain this project goes-whether or not Orson Chappell is aware of it, and if so, who's involved along with him."
"Chappell must be heading this and I'll bet he has partners outside the company," Nick said. "Something of this magnitude needs big backing, bigger than he can pull off by himself."
"First we have to find out where they're holding the captives, assuming the participants are unwilling. Or become unwilling once they realize what torture they face." Jax paused. "I'm thinking they must have more than one facility. Kira's samples came from the NewLife building in Vegas, but these four bodies were dumped a long way from there."
"I'll get on finding out where their facilities are located," Nick said. "If there's one here, that might explain why these men were discarded nearby. But even if the Vegas building is the closest, it's only a day's drive by car or two hours by plane. Not a difficult trip if our lackeys were sent to dispose of the bodies in a forested area."
"That would make more sense," Kira speculated. "I doubt they'd dispose of the bodies in their own backyard."
Jax looked at her. "I'd say Las Vegas is the place to start. Plus, Henry Ward told Kalen the men were in a blue van. I think they either drove out here with the bodies, or brought them in a private plane and then rented the van, and returned to Vegas afterward."
Nick agreed. "All right. I'll check, and if NewLife has no building here, we'll assemble and head to Vegas." He paused thoughtfully. "Where are they getting the shifters for the experiments? I wonder. They have to use shifters to make the changes in the humans work. And why haven't any of their bodies been found?"
"We heal faster," Jax reminded him. "We can take a lot of abuse before we succumb."
Well, that wasn't a comforting thought. Kira felt sorry for the victims on both sides.
Nick sighed, and glanced at one of the bodies. "I hate to ask you this, but can you see about getting a reading?"
"Sure. Let's do it."
He sounded so casual, but Kira had seen firsthand how much this took out of him. And today, though sexy as always, he appeared tired, like he hadn't been sleeping well. He was scratching every now and then, too, really digging at his arms and stomach. She frowned, unable to spot a rash.
He moved to the oldest of the corpses, touching only the wrist without the benefit of latex gloves, which could hamper his ability. He concentrated for several minutes, but shook his head and moved on. "Nothing. He's been gone too long, with the elements working at him."
Kira hid her revulsion as he went on to the second victim. He had the same bad luck with that one and the third. It wasn't until the latest victim that the tide turned.
Closing his eyes, he took the abraded wrist and breathed slowly and deeply, settling himself. After a few moments, his head tilted back and his body tensed. As the minutes passed, the color drained from his face and he began to shake. That was frightening enough, but the agonized scream he suddenly let out nearly made her heart explode.
"Nick!" Frantic, she looked to the boss, who'd taken a step toward his friend.
But before he could intervene, Jax moaned, "Oh, God, no. Please don't . . ."
Then his knees buckled and he hit the floor, sprawled on his back.
"Oh, my God! Jax!" Everyone converged on him, but Kira reached him first. Dropping to his side she patted his cheeks, shook him. "Jax!"
He didn't respond, but his breathing was steady, she noted in relief. Mac pushed in next to her and took his pulse. Next, she opened an eyelid and shined her penlight, testing the reaction.
"Has this ever happened to him before?" Kira asked the group anxiously.
"No," Nick said, voice rough. "It's never easy on him, but he's never passed out."
Dr. Mallory's voice cut through the rising panic. "We need to get him into an exam room. Nick, get his shoulders and I'll take his feet."
Between the two of them they managed to pick him up and maneuver his big body out, down the hall, and onto one of the clinic's exam tables. Kira tried to ease into the room, but Dr. Mallory wasn't having it.
"Everyone out so we can see to our patient. Either Mac or I will come as soon as we have news."
From nowhere, a powerful emotion hit Kira hard. How dare that woman keep him from me? The fierce rage swelled in her chest, strangling her lungs. A low sound emerged from her throat that very much emulated the noise Jax had made at the idea of others touching her. That reaction from him had pissed her off, and now she was doing the same thing.
Dr. Mallory froze, her efficient mask slipping long enough to gape at Kira in astonishment. Then she turned back to Kira's lover. "Nick, get her out of here."
"Come on," he said, taking her arm. "Let's get out of Melina's way. Jax will be fine."
As he led her to the waiting area, the red-hot anger began to subside, only to be replaced by a terrible anxiety. Jax was in there, only God knows what was happening to him. She couldn't touch him. Speak to him. Make certain he was okay. She needed to do those things or she'd go crazy.
"Nick, what's wrong with me?"
He sat her in a chair, took a seat next to her, and remained silent for a long moment. When he met her eyes, the expression in his dark blue ones made her heart lurch. "You're a scientist, Kira. Look at his reactions and yours with that analytical brain, and you tell me."