Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

Harris

Harris knew Woodley didn’t believe him, at least not completely, and he was waiting for Harris to change his mind. That wasn’t going to happen. He’d finally figured out what he’d been missing, and it was this handsome, stubborn detective all along.

“ Why are you grinning?” Jennifer asked.

“ Can’t a guy grin?” Harris asked back.

“ Not you,” she said. “What are you up to?”

Before Harris could skirt the answer, Brick and Darren walked into the living room; the boss was holding a stack of files.

“ Fall in,” Brick ordered, and the entire team converged on the large dining room table. “Have a seat. We have a few items to discuss.”

Eleven members were in attendance: Brick, Fletcher, Shaw, Spencer Gunner, Conor, Jason, Stryker, Jennifer, Darren, and himself. They each sat at various positions around the table, with Brick at the head and Darren at his side.

“ First, Darren would like to share what he’s discovered,” Brick announced.

That had more than one person looking around in confusion. Darren hadn’t been part of the in-field team before after being rescued from a Noah Group holding facility.

“ I realize that all of you are wondering why I returned with Jason. I’ve figured out my mutation, or at least what it is now. I’m unsure if it’ll change in time or progress further, and I wanted to join the fight against the people who made me the way I am.”

He looked over at Brick, who nodded in what appeared to be encouragement.

Darren placed his pale right hand on the wooden tabletop and seemed to concentrate on the table itself. A few team members leaned forward to get a better look. After a few seconds, the tips of Darren's fingers began disappearing. Harris shook his head and looked again. The longer he watched, the further up Darren’s fingers went until most of his hand was gone.

“ You’re fucking invisible,” Shaw shouted enthusiastically. “You’re a ghost.”

The sudden response must have scared Darren, and his hand immediately became visible again before pulling it back against his chest as if protecting himself.

“ It’s okay. He didn’t mean it in a derogatory way,” Brick said to Darren.

“ No, man, it’s so cool,” Shaw said. “Sorry if it came out wrong. I was surprised, but I shouldn’t be anymore. I think that’s the best mutation I’ve seen yet. Well, in truth, they’re all amazing.”

Darren seemed to calm at Shaw’s explanation. “I’m not invisible, or have become a ghost. Though it’s cool to think I could. It’s more like the pigment in my skin changes to match its surroundings. It blends in until you can’t see where my skin begins and ends.”

“ Like a chameleon,” Conor said.

“ I guess,” Darren said. “That’s as close as I can guess. Though I kinda like the thought of becoming invisible.”

“ Whoa, how did you figure that out?” Gunner asked. “That would come in handy, although I’m guessing you’d have to be naked for your entire body to blend in.”

Darren looked away and said, “I discovered this ability when I was feeling down last week and thinking it would be better if I disappeared. I’d never have a normal life. I’d always be hunted because somebody decided to screw with my DNA. Who’d want me? I’d be alone, unable to trust anyone.”

The sound of a chair scraping against the hardwood made Harris cringe as Conor stood from the table and walked over to Darren, pulling the much smaller man into a fierce hug.

“ You are wanted. You have a home with us, and those assholes would have to get through all of us if they wanted to harm you,” Conor stated fiercely.

“ Damn right.”

“ You got it.”

“ Hell yeah.”

The rest of the team chimed in, and a small smile slowly worked its way onto Darren's face.

“ Thank you. I’ll work hard to control it so that we can use what the Group thought they could use as a weapon against them,” Darren swore.

“ We know you will, and welcome to the team,” Brick said. “Now, if you could retake your seats, we have more to discuss and plans to implement.”

Everyone settled down, and Brick tossed the files onto the table.

“ Grab a copy, and let’s get to work. As we are all aware, the team came to New Orleans in order to place Harris among this division of the Noah Group.”

“ You mean kidnapped,” Jennifer huffed.

“ Yes. That plan went up in smoke thanks to Apollo, but the mission to dismantle this batch of assholes is still a go. You’ll find in the file all the information Apollo and his team have accumulated on this division. Pictures of players we’ve already met and a few new ones. Familiarize yourself with each individual.”

“ There’s Joe,” Fletcher chuckled as he held up a photo. “The man with all the moves.”

“ And Jaws, the bartender,” Conor added. “Looks like he wants to tear somebody’s head off.”

“ Likely more than simply looks. I don’t doubt he’d cause serious damage to anyone who got in his way,” Brick stated.

“ There’s the two guys from the van that night they attempted to take Harris,” Gunner said.

“ Who’s the guy behind Jaws?” Jason asked.

“ That’s Soloman. It’s believed that that’s the guy running the show. Strong ties to the site in California,” Brick said.

“ The cult?” Shaw asked.

“ Yes,” Brick said. “As far as we can determine, Soloman was a backer of the cult. Another one of the money men.”

“ We took away his cash cow,” Shaw said. “He must have been pissed.”

“ I saw him before,” Jennifer said, causing everyone to turn toward her.

“ You did?” Harris asked. “What do you remember about him?”

“ He’s a grade-A asshole,” she said.

“ That goes without saying, but do you remember anything specific?” Brick asked.

“ Yeah, he likes ’em young,” she growled. “He couldn’t hide that lecherous look he gave the girls who were part of the cult. I’ve never seen him try anything, but I don’t doubt he would have if given a chance. He’s creepy, disgusting, opportunistic, and downs expensive tequila like it’s water. His liver has to be mush by now. He even had a case shipped in when he was in California, and he was there for only a week.”

“ Asshole. You don’t mess with kids,” Darren growled, making Harris wonder if there was anything behind that response other than the normal rational disgust the rest of them felt.

“ Agreed, but we need to get inside. How do we do that?” Fletcher asked.

“ Spencer, find out if there’s a supplier in the area delivering abnormally large amounts of high-end tequila to the bar and anywhere else in the city,” Brick ordered.

“ On it.” Spencer began searching as Harris opened his laptop. Being a computer hacker might help with the digging.

“ I’ll take the out-of-country suppliers,” Harris said.

“ Thanks, man. I’ll take North America,” Spencer said.

“ What are you thinking, boss?” Stryker asked.

“ Maybe there’s a way to get closer to Soloman through his drink of choice,” Brick explained.

“ I’d love to lace his booze with an extra kick,” Stryker stated darkly.

“ If we find he’s having it delivered to his residence, that might be doable,” Brick said. “Either way, the last item on this agenda is Apollo’s missing team member. His name is Robin, and he went missing over a week and a half ago. They believe this division has him and have asked us to help find and free him.”

“ This file is thick. Apollo’s team must have been following them for a while,” Jennifer said.

“ Yes, and this Robin was tailing Jaws when he went missing,” Brick explained. “Apollo is unable to track Robin for much the same reason Conor can’t get a read on Apollo. So they have no idea where he is.”

“ Robin’s a survivor as well?” Harris asked.

“ His mutation allows him to leave suggestions in a weaker person’s mind using only his voice,” Brick said.

“ Suggestions?” Fletcher asked, with a look that was a mix of curious and concerned.

“ He can suggest they do things. Like having someone order a tea instead of coffee or jump up and down,” Brick stated.

“ Or drive off a cliff?” Shaw asked.

“ Yes. In essence. However, the person needs to be easily suggestible.”

“ Holy shit,” Shaw said while shaking his head. “The Noah Group must have some serious players capable of all these mutations.”

“ Yeah, and they’ve gone through countless bodies to do it,” Harris growled.

“ It’s not like they have to follow any ethics guidelines,” Conor said grimly. “They can collect or create human test subjects at will and toss them aside when they’re done.”

“ That’s what we’re here to stop. No one has the right to unilaterally decide a person’s existence, control over their body, or any other aspect. Screwing with a person’s DNA is a slippery slope that should only be done under strict guidance and with precautions ensuring that no harm comes to that person,” Brick stated. “The Noah Group’s experiments have gone on without checks and balances even after being dissolved by their military backers. That has to stop, and we’re here to do just that.”

“ Hooyah.”

The cheer rang out from around the table. The Navy SEALs battle cry sent chills down Harris’s spine. No one with an ounce of sense would dare get in their way. Unfortunately, the Noah Group members lacked this basic requirement, which would be their downfall.