Safe (The Shielded Series Book 1) Read online

  SAFE

  The Shielded Series – Book One

  By Christine DePetrillo

  Copyright 2016 Christine DePetrillo

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover design by Dar Albert of

  Wicked Smart Designs

  www.wickedsmartdesigns.com

  Edited by Janet Hitchcock

  www.theproofisinthereading.wordpress.com

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the copyright owners except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, events, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Author Contact:

  Website: www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/christinedepetrilloauthor

  Dedication

  To our future selves and all we deserve…

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Epilogue

  Other Books in The Shielded Series – Sci-Fi Romance

  PROTECTED Sneak Peek

  Chapter One

  Books in The Maple Leaf Series – Contemporary Romance

  Other Available Titles by Christine DePetrillo

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Dr. Foster Ashby leaned against the crumbling brick exterior of an abandoned building, trying to catch his breath. His heart drummed a frantic and untamed beat in his chest, echoing in his ears as he sucked in oxygen and struggled not to choke on the fumes in the air. They’d dropped a pepperblast a few feet from him, but he’d managed to duck into an alley before the noxious cloud enveloped him. The stinging vapors would linger though. He couldn’t run back the way he’d come. Going forward was his only option.

  I have to make it.

  Lungs burning, he patted the small tablet zipped into the pocket of his gray cargo pants. If his research fell into the hands of his pursuers, all would be lost. He was close to an answer now. Too close to fail. Too close to disappoint the entire globe.

  No pressure.

  Foster rubbed his eyes, certain they were bloodshot, not only from the pepperblast but simply from being in the city. Running through dilapidated Boston took its toll on the body. The stink of trash and decaying carcasses—animal and human—made breathing difficult. Summer temperatures didn’t help. Everything smelled as if it’d been marinated in sour milk then roasted on sun-scorched asphalt. The uneven pavement was tricky to navigate and hell on the feet. Something sharp had jabbed his heel through his black combat boots as he’d run through the city, and now his sock felt wet. He didn’t dare stop to heal what was probably a deep gash.

  Have to keep moving.

  He picked his way along the alley, staying close to the building at his right. Fortunately the brick façade was continuous and offered good cover. Red bits of brick flaked off as his fingers trailed along the stone, sounding like rain pattering on the street. He’d loved the brownstone buildings in this part of the city where he’d lived before the Anarch attack. They’d been so cozy, nestled next to one another along the narrow streets, old-fashioned iron lampposts lighting the way for nighttime walkers on summer evenings. Boston had been such a historic city, filled with the sights and symbols of America’s fight for freedom.

  Now it was no more than a wasteland.

  Rubble and litter ruined the landscape. The sound of cars bringing people here and there no longer filled the day and night hours like a steady, healthy heartbeat. Instead an eerie quiet—an odd absence of city noise—hung over the skeletons of broken buildings. Business no longer thrived here. Social activity no longer thrived here.

  Nothing thrived here.

  Except for one area where Foster resided. His employer, Emerge Tech, owned the intact and enhanced building and allowed its employees to live there. The science-based company had taken over a section of the ruined city to rebuild its headquarters, erected fortress-grade walls with a security field around its assets, and had been operating as if the rest of the world wasn’t in a total state of disarray. They were committed to solving the problems that were causing the chaos across the globe, but life within Emerge Tech walls and its security field was as close to normal as life got these days.

  If I could get back there…

  Maybe he’d be safe inside Emerge Tech’s walls. Maybe he’d be leading the enemy right where they wanted to be led. Maybe he wasn’t meant to survive the day.

  Foster shook his head. He had to survive. Too many people were counting on his research. Too many lives would be lost if he didn’t succeed. He couldn’t quit now. Especially because he’d snuck out of the safety of Emerge Tech after his superiors had made it quite clear they didn’t approve of his requested trip into the city.

  But he needed samples. Samples that were too risky for anyone else to acquire. Patting the pocket of his cargo pants, he took pleasure in the fact that he’d been successful. Now he just had to get back to his lab.

  As he decided to make a run for Emerge Tech, a bright spotlight lasered down to where he stood in the dim alley.

  “Nowhere to hide now, good doctor,” a digitized voice boomed from overhead.

  The light was too bright for Foster to see its origin. He made a move to run again, but fingers dug into his biceps. He was yanked out of the light and through a hole in the brick wall behind him. The fingers felt small but strong against his bare skin. He made a move to turn around, but the fingers tightened painfully, so he stopped.

  “Look,” he started, “I know what you want, but I don’t have the cure. I might never find it.” Maybe if the enemy thought he wasn’t close to finding the right recipe, they’d decide he wasn’t a threat.

  He expected a response. Something along the lines of, “You will have the cure soon.” That was most likely true. Foster didn’t make a habit of failing; however, he feared the rest of that sentence would be, “So you must die.”

  He wasn’t ready to die. He had faith the world could be restored. He knew he was a big part of that restoration. He had to live and find the cure. He also wanted to be around to enjoy the new world that would be rebuilt in place of the shithole this one had become.

  Instead, the only answer he received was the sound of someone breathing behind him. He strained to listen and didn’t hear more than one set of inhales and exhales.

  If there’s only one of them…

  Foster whirled around and sent his fist straight out. His knuckles immediately connected with something and a pained cry filled the dark space around him.

  “Fuck,” an angry female voice said. Spitting sounded followed by more cursing and a soft click as a flashlight flooded the area with white light. “You made me bleed, you ass.” The beam of light turned to the cement floor where dark splatters zigzagged between Foster’s black combat boots and a similar, smaller pair across from him.

  While he was studying the blood spill, someone grabbed his shirt, brought his head down, and slammed it against a sharp, boney kneecap that appeared out of nowhere. The pain was instant and sent him to his knees. He reached out his hands to brace himself and debris on the floor cut into his palms. Now he was bleeding.

  “There,” the female voice sa
id. “We’re fucking even now.”

  Foster swung out his arms and grabbed onto the ankles of his attacker. Pulling with all he had, he swept her legs out from under her. She crashed to the ground, landing flat on her back. Her body made a sickening smack, but Foster didn’t give a shit. She wasn’t getting his research.

  No one was getting his research. Not until he had the cure and not until he was sure it’d be going into the right hands—hands dedicated to saving lives. Emerge Tech hands.

  He scrambled to his feet, grabbed the flashlight the female had dropped, and ran deeper into what remained of the building they were in. If he could get out the other side of it, he could avoid what might still be waiting in the alley and have a chance at getting to his domicile. He’d be safe on the other side of Emerge Tech’s walls and its security field. He had to believe that.

  His heel ached along with his palms and his head now, but he kept running. Moving had to be better than sitting with a target on his back. He rounded a corner, spilling into a better lit area where a wall was broken and let in daylight. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the light then he ran straight into the nose of a gun.

  “I wonder if Emerge Tech will pay me regardless of your condition upon delivery.” The female pushed the gun into his breastbone until it felt as if it were grinding a hole there.

  “You’re getting paid by Emerge Tech?” He backed up a step to rid himself of the gun prod and take a better look at his assailant.

  “Yeah.” She pushed a mane of reddish-brown waves out of her face as her tongue ran over the fresh split in her bottom lip. A split Foster had put there.

  “And what exactly are they paying you to do?” Thoughts of betrayal flashed into his mind. The company he’d given everything to was out to get him? The company who had thrown funds his way to save the goddamn world wanted him dead? If he died, so did nearly everyone else. The enemy would win. Is that what Emerge Tech wanted?

  “They’re paying me to keep your sorry ass safe, though they are miffed you left their walls without consent. I can see why. People want you dead out here on the outside.” She flexed her hand around the gun. “You must be important, Dr. Foster Ashby.” Her face took on a disgusted expression as her hazel gaze combed over him. “Rich guys are always important. Or at least they think they are.” She lowered the gun now and wiped at the fresh blood dotting her lip.

  “And what? I’m supposed to just believe you’re here to keep me safe?” Did she think he was that gullible? He may spend hours upon hours locked in his lab, but he knew not to assume everyone told the truth all the time. Especially not in the world of 2025. Honesty had gone down as hard as the buildings in the Boston. Trust was an antiquated notion. Extinct even.

  Foster knew that first hand. His biggest enemy right now had once been his best friend. He’d worked long hours with Dr. Mikale Warres, a brilliant chemist at Emerge Tech. He’d assumed they’d been toiling after the same goals, believed in the same ideas.

  He’d been wrong.

  He wouldn’t be wrong again. “Listen. I’m all set on my own here.”

  “Clearly.” She scoffed. “You were about to be terminated in that alley, moron. I pulled you out of there and the thanks I get is a punch to the face.” She wiped at her bloody lip again. A bloody lip that made her mouth look dangerous. She winced as she ran her tongue over the split.

  Foster unzipped his pocket and plunged his hand inside.

  “Hold it right there.” She took several steps closer, her gun still trained on him.

  He put his hands out to his sides. “My weapon is not in this pocket.” He wasn’t going to tell her he didn’t have a weapon on him at all. She’d already called him a moron. She’d think he was downright insane for venturing into the city unarmed, but he liked to believe he was stealthy enough not to need a weapon.

  Clearly that’s not true.

  But he hadn’t realized Mikale was actively pursuing him. Emerge Tech had to have known, though, if they denied his request to go outside in the first place and then thought a bodyguard was necessary once they realized he was missing.

  “I want to grab my tablet.” Slowly, he reached into his pocket, his gaze staying on the nose of her gun, which didn’t waver in the least. She obviously had experience holding people at gunpoint.

  He pulled out his tablet. Tapping the screen, he found the program he wanted and stepped closer to her. He hadn’t decided whether she was friend or foe yet, but he didn’t need her blood creating a trail for his enemy to follow.

  “Let me see your lip there,” he said.

  She backed up a few steps. “Get away from me.”

  “Do you enjoy donating your precious blood to the floor?” he asked.

  Licking at the split again, she huffed out a breath. “It’s just a few drops. Trust me, I’ve donated way more than that in the past.”

  “I’m sure.” He held up the tablet. “You obviously know I’m a doctor. I can stop that bleeding with this. If you’ll let me. It’s perfectly safe. Watch.”

  He hovered the tablet over the deep scratches on his left palm and hit scan. A warmth radiated over the damaged skin and soon the cuts were completely healed. He did the same to his right palm then met her gaze.

  She lowered her weapon and waved a hand toward her lip. “Hurry up then.”

  He stepped a little closer, careful not to put himself within range for her to do any damage to him. Lining up her lip in the tablet’s screen, he hit scan and the program went to work closing the split. Within seconds, she was healed and no longer bleeding.

  She brought her fingers up to her lip and ran them back and forth. Foster was a little mesmerized by how full those lips were. Bodyguards weren’t supposed to be this… this hot, were they?

  What am I doing? He didn’t have time to notice how beautiful this female was. He only had time to find the cure.

  As he backed away, his heel stung, shooting pain up his entire leg. The pain brought him back to his current situation and out of the daydream of pressing his lips against this female’s just to get a taste of her. He listened for a moment, but didn’t hear sounds of anyone still in pursuit outside. Sinking to the ground, he sat and pulled off his boot and blood-stained sock.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. “We have to keep moving and get you and your impressive brain to Emerge Tech.”

  “Ah, now I believe you.” Shaking his head, he used his tablet to tend to the gash in his heel.

  She folded her arms across her chest. “Now you believe what?”

  Foster put his boot back on and stood, securing his tablet into the zippered pocket of his cargo pants. He studied her for a few moments. She wasn’t much shorter than his six-foot-three frame, and her legs went on for miles. He’d definitely not seen a pair of black cargo pants and black boots look better. The army green tank top she wore showcased muscular arms and smooth caramel-colored skin. A tattoo encircled her left arm—a ring of stars—and Foster put a hand to his own tribal tattoo on his neck, swirling up around his right ear. He’d gotten his to celebrate life. Why had she gotten hers?

  Why do I care?

  “Now you believe what?” she repeated as she pulled at her bottom lip, looking a little impressed it had been healed so easily.

  “Now I believe you were hired by Emerge Tech. My brain is important to them.” Only his brain. He was pretty sure if he could download his brain onto a machine, Emerge Tech would have had him do so years ago. “My employer would pay someone to keep my brain safe.”

  “But not your body, huh?” She smiled now, and Foster wasn’t sure if he should like it or fear it. “Too bad. I’m not sure what your brain looks like, but your body’s definitely…” Her voice trailed off and her dark brows lowered.

  “Definitely… what?”

  She blinked and cleared her throat. “Definitely not disgusting.” She pulled at a chain around her neck and presented a triangular metal tag. “Back to business. I’m Officer Darina Lazitter. This is my badge. I’m supposed
to escort you to Emerge Tech safely. Your employer felt you were taking too long out here on your unauthorized visit.”

  Foster took the tag from her, tugging lightly on the chain so she had to take a step forward. Sure enough, it said the name she’d given him and her badge number along with the letters BPD for Boston Police Department.

  He let the tag drop, and the chain landed between her breasts. Breast that were also definitely not disgusting, not that he was paying attention to those sorts of things. He had more important shit on his mind.

  “I suppose we should stop beating each other up then,” he said. “We’re on the same team.”

  “I’m my own team,” she said. “Always. I’ll do the job and be on my way.” She turned on her heel before he could reply. “C’mon.”

  Foster fell in step behind her. He’d follow her to Emerge Tech. Perhaps she knew an easier way to get there. One that wouldn’t involve him getting blasted to pieces by Warres’s associates. Thirty-six years old and he already had some artificial parts. He didn’t need anymore.

  And he certainly didn’t need to be dead.

  ****

  Darina knew she should keep a closer eye on her charge, but Dr. Foster Ashby was over six feet of solid, attractive man. The less she looked at him, the better. She didn’t need to analyze how those gray cargo pants molded to his fine ass and long, toned legs. She didn’t need to study how his black T-shirt emphasized a muscular chest and strong biceps. That interesting ink crawling up his neck to his ear definitely did not need her close inspection, and she was absolutely not wondering how the dark stubble surrounding his full lips would feel scraping along her bare skin.

  Nope. She was focused on her mission of getting this guy to the safety of his employer, the wealthy Emerge Tech. Normally she didn’t accept jobs like this, but times were tough, and she had Ezekiel to support. Sure, he wasn’t her biological son, but that sixteen-year old meant as much to her as flesh and blood. He’d been with her since he was six and had been found living under a pier jutting out into Boston Harbor. She’d coaxed him to her with a chocolate bar, and the two of them had been together ever since. If getting Dr. Rich Scientist to Richer Emerge Tech beyond Richest Steel Walls would bring in some extra cash, then she was going to do it.