Hardwired (The Brotherhood Series) Read online

  “You can help him?”

  “I believe so.”

  “Help who, honey?” Her mother asked.

  “Let’s all sit down,” Jen said, buying herself some time to figure out what she was going to say.

  Her father led the way through the house. They had all been standing in a small foyer that led to a hallway. At the end of the hallway was a decent sized living room with the kitchen to the left. Another hallway at the back of the living room led off to the right more than likely to a bathroom and bedrooms.

  “Is there a bathroom back there?” She asked her parents, pointing to the hallway.

  “Yes. Bella, do you need to potty? Mam will take you.”

  Bella latched onto Jen’s mom’s hand, and off they went.

  “I’m so glad you guys are here,” Jen said, hugging her dad again.

  “I am, too. We have been worried sick. I have a thousand questions, though.”

  “I know. I think I’ll answer a lot of questions here any minute now,” Jen said, looking toward the front door.

  She no sooner turned back to her dad, when the front door opened. Jen stood up and watched as Dean and Kip carried Luke in the door. Her father moved behind her, and she felt his shock.

  “Holy shit,” he whispered, moving around her to get a closer look.

  Kip and Dean got Luke situated on the couch as best they could with Luke being longer than the couch by a good foot. Jen knelt next to Luke, running her fingers through his hair.

  “What’s next?” She asked Dean.

  “There are a couple of things I can do. I can insert one of his old chips, but I don’t know if they’ll allow his mind to continue to try to bring the memories forward. I’ve read the coding a hundred times, and I don’t see where there’s anything in there that would purposely suppress that part of his mind, but he’s made great strides with them out. It may not seem like it, but just recalling your pet name and how you take your coffee are huge.”

  “The other option?”

  “Leave him and see if he can find his way back on his own. The hard drive is still in place, so we don’t run the risk of him becoming a vegetable, but his mind can try to control his body. I truly believe it can.”

  “Okay. What about this meeting we’re supposed to go to that Beryl set up? It seemed very important to Luke that Bella and I go with this person.”

  “I believe that as well. Kip can take you and Bella, along with your parents, to the rendezvous point to get you to safety.”

  Jen shook her head. Her heart felt torn. No mother could leave their daughter after everything they had just gone through, but the thought of walking away from Luke when he was so vulnerable gutted her.

  “This is what Luke would want.” Dean said, reading her mind.

  Her father was still standing with a shocked expression on his face.

  “Dad?”

  “How? Did you know? Is he hurt?”

  “It’s a long story. Luke wasn’t killed, he was injured, and he suffered from amnesia, which the government found very convenient. He doesn’t remember us, but he’s starting to. I can’t leave him right now.”

  Her father nodded as he continued to stare at Luke. She knew it was hard for her father to see Luke. Bella and Jen’s mom walked into the room, and Bella bounded over to Jen, leaning forward to check on Luke.

  “Daddy’s alive,” Bella said with a big smile.

  “I see that,” her dad replied.

  Her mom gasped once she got close enough to see Luke. Tears filled her mom’s eyes as she rushed forward and picked up Luke’s hand.

  “Oh, Jen,” she said with through tears.

  Jen smiled. It warmed her heart to see her parents still loved Luke. The man deserved and needed all the love he could get. Had he been offered it from the beginning, Jen couldn’t help but think his amnesia could have been cured sooner.

  “Mom, Dad, I need you to take Bella and go with Kip to the safe passage Luke set up.”

  “Honey, we can’t leave you behind.”

  “You’re not. You’re leaving me with Luke, and right now he needs me more. Knowing Bella will have you two makes me feel confident in this decision.”

  “Where are we going? Will we ever get to come back?”

  “Luke didn’t say where, and honestly from what I gather on this whole ordeal, is no, we won’t be coming back. If we want to have Luke in our lives, Bella and I need to go. Your decision is yours alone, and I will respect it should you decide you don’t want to leave your life behind.”

  Her father stepped forward taking Jen into his embrace. “Honey, you are our life. If you go, we go.”

  Jen succumbed to the tears that had been building up all day. Her father had always been her rock. She found such comfort having him there and supporting her decision. Bella tugged on Jen’s shirt, pulling her from the hug. Jen sat down on the floor, and Bella crawled on her lap.

  “When will you come get me, Mamma?”

  “Well, it’ll be more like joining you, instead of picking you up, and I’m not sure. I know this is hard, and you have been so strong, but Daddy needs me. He needs us to be strong.”

  “Okay. I’ll miss you,” Bella sniffled, wrapping her arms around Jen’s neck.

  “I’m going to miss you too, but I promise I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  It wasn’t lost on anyone else in the room that Jen hadn’t promised she would have Luke with her. That was a promise Jen didn’t want to make, even though she hoped with her whole heart that they would one day be a family.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Luke

  “I’m so sorry. Oh my gosh, I’m such a clutz,” the woman said as she frantically dabbed at his shirt, where he now wore her large pop, with a napkin.

  She had long dark hair and velvety brown eyes. He didn’t give a shit about the pop, but her hands were getting dangerously close to his pants line, and her lips were parted in concentration. Her lush lips.

  “It’s fine,” he grunted, snatching her hand away before it went any lower.

  “I feel awful. Can I buy you another shirt? Gas station special?” She said, with a smirk.

  Luke had no business admiring a woman so out of his league, but she held him captive. There hadn’t been a woman to ever intrigue him like the one in front of him.

  “No worries. Can I buy you another pop?”

  “No thanks.”

  She smiled, as her eyes wondered up his body locking in on the dog tags that were hanging from his neck.

  “Military?”

  “Navy. I’m on leave.”

  “What brings you to West Virginia?”

  “Some buddies and I are here to jump off of the New River Gorge for Bridge Day.”

  “No way! I’m terrified of heights. I’ve always wanted to go to that though.”

  “Come with me.”

  She bit her lower lip while she considered his request. He felt like a schmuck for blurting it out. A girl as stunning as the one in front of him didn’t go out with grunts like him.

  “It’s tomorrow right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Give me your phone,” she said, holding out her hand.

  He dug his phone out of his pocket, trying to ignore how sweaty his hands were and handed it to her. She unlocked it and plugged in her name and number before handing it back to him.

  “Jen,” he said out loud, looking down at the screen.

  “Hi.”

  “My name’s Luke.”

  “Well Luke, I can’t wait to see you jump off a bridge.”

  She walked past him, turning back briefly to shoot him one last heart stopping smile, and then she disappeared through the sliding doors. He looked back down at his phone and decided she had been too good to be true, so he hit the number she had given him, dialing it.

  Her laughter filled his ear seconds later.

  “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t give me a fake,” he said bashfully.

  “I’ll see
you soon, Luke.”

  “See you, Jen.”

  Luke tried to hang onto the memory, but it slipped away. He tried to move as if he could reach out and grab it, but his body wasn’t listening to him. Every now and then, he could hear the things around him, but that faded in and out just like his memories. It was as if he was caught between two worlds, and he had to pick one. The memories of his life prior to the accident were flooding his mind.

  He heard Dean’s voice, and Jen’s, but he couldn’t seem to respond. He felt himself being lifted, and he wanted to struggle against it, but that, too, was futile. Although he couldn’t figure out what Jen was saying, her voice was getting louder as if she were yelling. She was a fighter, his Ahava.

  Another memory took control of his mind, and he slipped back into his past.

  “This is not bootcamp, this is where we separate the men from boys; the real soldiers, from those who are better suited elsewhere.”

  Their Chief Petty Officer was screaming at them. Dean and Luke were standing next to each other in line, waiting for their first task during Hell Week.

  “Let’s see how cold you like it. We’re going to tread water; for an hour, in near freezing temperatures.”

  The man smirked, as they all turned to look at the pool behind them. Luke loved the water, and he loved when he was tested by it. He wasn’t some egotistical idiot who thought he was stronger than the water, especially the ocean. Instead he respected it and embraced the challenge.

  The whistle blew, and men jumped into the water. Luke felt his feet leave the ground seconds before the icy water hit his body. It was so cold he felt his lungs immediately constrict, and his heart rate slow down. Luke controlled his body, moving in steady rhythm to keep him above water, but also help regulate his internal temp.

  The memory was so real, Luke tried to struggle against the water. He felt his leg move and then his arm. He was moving. The icy water wasn’t in his memory it was real, he was in cold water. Luke gasped, his eyes finally obeying and flying open.

  Dean and Jen stood next to him. He blinked hard several times finally realizing he was simply in a giant jacuzzi tub filled with cold water. Luke tested each leg, and then each arm to make sure he had full control of his extremities.

  “Your friend’s a prick,” Jen said with a relieved smile.

  Luke looked at Dean, who shot him his typical annoying smile.

  “Your wife’s hot. How’d ya manage that?”

  “Watch yourself; I’m still not sure I shouldn’t put my fist through your face,” Luke warned.

  Dean raised his hands up in surrender and then backed up, so Luke could climb out of the tub.

  “How do you feel?” Jen asked.

  “You owe me a shirt, woman.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Luke

  Jen launched herself into Luke’s arms. He hugged her close and nuzzled his face down into the crook of her neck. She leaned back and held his face in her hands.

  “I remember, my Ahava. Now, where’s Bella?”

  Jen’s face fell, and she looked at Dean for back up.

  “We sent her on ahead with Jen’s parents and Kip.”

  Luke struggled with having not been a part of the decision for a minute and then realized it was the same call he would have made had he been lucid.

  “That’s good. I would have loved to have seen her now that I remember who I am, but I’ll see her soon. I’m glad your parents are with her.”

  “They were glad to see you.”

  Luke snorted. Aside from his own dad there wasn’t another man out there who Luke respected and loved more than Jen’s father. Having abandoned his little girl and granddaughter, Luke couldn’t imagine Jen’s father cared too much for him anymore. Jen slapped him, jerking him from his thoughts.

  “My dad loves you. My mom cried and sat by your side for an hour refusing to leave. They both love you just as much as Bella and I do.”

  “I don’t deserve it, but I’ll take it. Now, catch me up on what’s happened.”

  They filtered back into the giant living room.

  “You hungry? We have some leftovers.” Jen asked him.

  “How long was I out?”

  “A little over a day.”

  “Damn.”

  “They were able to trace you using your hard drive, even though the chip itself wasn’t trackable. Your hard drive has its own IP address. Right now, I’m bouncing your signal through several different states, so if they’re trying again it’ll take a while.”

  Jen excused herself. Luke had to catch himself from reaching out and dragging her back against him.

  “How’d Jen get me out?”

  “She dragged you across that parking lot. Kip showed up in just enough time to fire off a couple of shots and get you the hell out of there, but she did the hard part.”

  Luke shook his head. He couldn’t imagine how scared Bella must have been through it all. He just prayed that he didn’t scar her for life with his own selfishness. Part of him wondered if they would have been better off if he would have just walked away.

  “Luke, right now you don’t have a chip in at all.”

  “Why would the chips have anything to do with my amnesia?”

  “The doctor and I looked back at your brain waves after your accident. Without a chip, your mind couldn’t seem to process things. The hard drive made it so your muscles and nerves could all function, but the chips seemed to help your mind know how to react, so to speak. I believe that over time your mind built back its ability to process and started fighting against your chip. Hence your migraines and the sharp pains you were feeling.”

  “Can I remove the hard drive all together you think?”

  “No, it’s still giving you the ability to move. I don’t know if your nervous system or muscular system will ever be able to function without it. Plus, the surgery to remove it would be too dangerous to perform.”

  “If they put it in, surely they can take it out.”

  “When they put it in, you had nothing to lose. You were basically a vegetable. You could revert back to that state again, should they try to remove it.”

  Luke nodded, he hated the feeling of disappointment that settled in his gut. It was what it was.

  “How long until Bella is to safety?”

  “She and the grandparents should be landing sometime in the middle of the night at their destination. As far as the government is concerned they were entered into witness protection, along with Jen, and are headed to a new life in Colorado Springs.”

  “Where are they really going?”

  “I don’t know. Did Beryl not tell you?” Dean asked, shock registering on his face.

  “No. Maybe it’s better that way, for now.”

  “Once they are safely down the plane will be coming back for you and Jen. So for now we just lay low.” Dean continued.

  “Thank you.”

  “I know it doesn’t seem like it Luke, but I really did feel like I was doing the best thing for you at the time.”

  “I find that hard to believe, but I appreciate what you’re doing now.”

  Jen came back in the room carrying a large bowl of spaghetti and handed it to Luke. Dean excused himself, disappearing down a hallway off the back of the living room.

  “I feel like I just walked into a warzone. You two alright?”

  “Thank you for this,” he said, holding the bowl up.

  “You’re welcome. Now stop ignoring the question,” she countered, as she moved into the living room, taking a seat on one of the oversized lounge chairs.

  “I’m not ignoring it. I don’t quite know the answer.”

  Luke realized then that he missed Jen. He hadn’t realized it before, but he missed having someone to share his life with. Had it been another mission and he and Dean were butting heads, he would have simply remained quiet, brooding over the argument. Having her there to talk to, even if he didn’t have anything to say, gave him peace. He moved further into the living ro
om and sat across from her on the couch, so he could look at her.

  “He’s done a lot for us. We can’t possibly know the circumstances he was under those days after your accident.”

  “True. I’m beginning to wonder who did know all the circumstances during those days. Someone made the call to tell you that I was dead and to let me continue on without even attempting to tell me about you.”

  “I don’t know that it matters now, Luke. We have each other, and you have your memories. We’re off to a new life.”

  “It matters to me. I want to know who, and I want them dead.”

  Chapter Forty

  Jen

  Jen understood Luke’s desire to know who had stripped him of his life, of his identity, and whether he believed it or not, she understood why he wanted them dead. She had always understood that part of Luke. His innate desire to seek justice for those who had been done wrong. It was a huge part of what made him such a good soldier. He cared. They were so close to their happily-ever-after that Jen wasn’t prepared to let the soldier in him take over the man.

  It no longer had anything to do with his hard drive and the chips; it was about Luke the man. He had always fought to separate the man from the soldier. Jen could remember him coming home from missions, and the first weeks after he would struggle to let go of the soldier and just be at peace with the man. It would last for a while, and then he would get the itch. He needed to fight, to push himself, and to help those who couldn’t.

  She had worried about what it would have been like for him as a father, but they hadn’t got the chance to figure it out. His plan had been to retire after that last mission and be home with her and Bella, but Jen had always feared he wouldn’t have been able to. That fear was now going to be put to the test in a very dramatic way. Jen was leaving on the plane to start her new life with Bella and her parents. Bella had been through too much to ask any more of her. As much as Jen wanted Luke there, she wouldn’t allow him to follow if he had plans of revenge. The conversation needed to happen, soon, but Jen wasn’t sure where to start.