Page 54 of Stealing Mercury (Arena Dogs #1)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Could it be true? Samantha’s hand went to her belly. “I had a blocker. It should be good for another year.”

“I double-checked the test results,” said Chelle. “Just four weeks. It is their baby, isn’t it?”

“We’ve always suspected the males had sturdy swimmers,” said Abel.

Chelle scowled at him.

“Uh, sorry. We’ve suspected for some time that the females are the problem.”

Samantha had no reason to trust them. “Why should I tell you anything?”

“Because we’re on your side,” said Chelle. “We’re going to help you get out of here.”

“You can’t do this,” said Abel. He pulled Chelle around to face him. “Think what you’re doing.”

“There’s nothing Owens wouldn’t do,” said Chelle. “If he knew. Nothing would stop him from breeding a whole new generation of Arena Dogs.”

The implications were terrifying, But Samantha couldn’t think about that now. If she was going to have a baby, she wasn’t going to raise it without the father. “I’m not leaving without Mercury and Lo.”

“Don’t be stupid,” said Abel. “Chelle is already—”

Another look from Chelle shut the man up. “Abel, don’t you see. It really is theirs. She’s trying to save the baby’s father.”

“Leave that to me,” said Abel. “I’ll do my best to get them out.”

Chelle shook her head. “If I get her out, security will be tightened. The usual way won’t work. I have to do this.”

Chelle took her hand and squeezed her fingers. “I’d like you to let the leaders of the resistance know I wouldn’t have blown my cover for any other reason.”

“You shouldn’t do it at all,” said Abel. “You have any idea how hard it’s going to be to get any more of them out of here without you?”

“What are you talking about,” asked Samantha. “What usual way?”

Chelle smiled sadly. “Not all Dogs that die in the arena stay dead. Abel and I save some of them, like Mercury’s pack brothers.”

“They’re alive?”

“We got them out to the resistance. After I’m gone, Abel will have to find a way to carry on without me, but that will take time. I’m afraid that’s not an option for Mercury and Diablo.”

Samantha didn’t want Chelle to risk anything for her, but she didn’t have a lot of options. “If you can get us all to the port, we can take you with us.”

Chelle smiled like she was dealing with a na?ve child. “Let’s focus on getting you out first.”

Two guards burst through the med-center door, dragging a bulky Arena Dog into the facility. Chelle urged them toward a second med-bed. “From the Arena?”

“No,” said one of the guards as they lifted him onto the table. “There was a brawl in one of the kennels. This one is alive, but we can’t get him to come around. He may have a head injury.”

Chelle stepped over to the table, watching as Abel fitted the restraints and strapped the Arena Dog down. “Thank you,” said Chelle to the guards. “We’ll take it from here. You can wait outside.”

The men were barely out the door when Abel released the restraints and the big man on the table pushed up and looked right at Samantha.

Chelle stroked the large man’s arm like she was stroking a pet. “Saber. Thank goodness you’re all right.”

“Mercury and Lo were recaptured?” He spoke without dropping his gaze from Samantha.

“Yes,” said Chelle. “I’m afraid so, but Carn and Hera haven’t been found.”

The man called Saber gently pushed the medic aside and jumped off the table. He approached Samantha like a wild animal approaching an offered treat. She kept still and waited. The medics clearly weren’t afraid of him and he seemed to know Mercury.

“You’re hurt,” she said, choosing to focus on the obvious. “You should let the medics help you.”

He lifted his arms and looked down his torso, crisscrossed with claw marks. Blood welled along the marks. Raising his arms also showed off his lean, muscular frame. His torso was as lean as Mercury’s but those broad shoulders made him seem much bigger.

“This is nothing but scratches,” he said. His big shoulders rolled and he dropped his arms. He stepped closer, bent over her and inhaled deeply. Scenting her, no doubt.

“Who are you?” Saber’s brows wrinkled.

Samantha knew exactly what response she needed to give. Not for him and not for the medics, but for herself. “I’m Mercury’s mate,” she said. “My name is Samantha.”

“You don’t scent of him.” Saber stated it matter-of-factly.

“It was a long journey... and we were separated for most of that.” And she was a fool.

That she left unsaid. She pushed up into a sitting position and swung her legs over the side of the bed, grateful that the pain and dizziness didn’t knock her back onto the bed.

“Now that we’re acquainted, there’s only one thing I need to know.

” She closed her eyes and took a shallow breath before facing him again. “Are you going to help me rescue him?”

“Saber,” said Chelle. “We have to help her. She’s pregnant with his baby.”

Shock painted his face a shade lighter. “Does he know?”

“No,” said Chelle. The medic stepped over to a counter and started preparing two dosing-wands.

“Drake will be here any moment to escort her into the stands and I’m supposed to make sure the match doesn’t go well for Mercury and Lo.

I’m replacing the usual drugs with a performance booster, but I’m not sure what else to do.

” The medic shoved the two prefilled wands into the big pockets of her white coat. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“There’s no way to get any help this quickly,” said Abel.

“Oh,” said Samantha. “Rachel. She’s in trouble. They know she’s working for the resistance.”

Abel nodded. “I’ll try to warn her.”

The big Arena Dog sucked in a breath and released it in a loud huff. “Go with Drake. I’ll do what I can to help your mate get up into the stands. I can do nothing beyond that.”

“I understand. Thank you. Thank all of you.”

Saber climbed back onto the bed and Chelle returned to Samantha’s side. She held up a small instrument. “I’m going to insert a sub-dermal data-slip in your arm. It has information that will help you contact Haven.”

“Haven?”

“It’s the base of operations for the resistance. I don’t know more than that.”

“How do I know this isn’t a tracker?”

“You can trust her,” grumbled Saber. “She has freed many of our kind.”

Samantha nodded then held still and Chelle touched the instrument to the soft tissue on the inside of her arm. When she’d finished, she wrapped her arm around Samantha’s waist. “Can you stand?”

Samantha pushed her legs over the edge of the med-bed and borrowed some of Chelle’s strength to get to her feet.

“Well done. Now let’s go wait for Drake in the hall so Abel won’t have to put Saber’s restraints back on. He hates that.”

Chelle’s calm unnerved Samantha. She supposed it took guts to work as an undercover operative in a place like Roma, but her Zen-like state seemed almost inhuman.

“Samantha,” Saber’s growly voice stopped her speculation, and she looked over her shoulder to where he sat on the med-bed.

“Yes?”

“Mercury,” he said, “chose his mate well.”