Shattered Innocence

Unraveling the Past

They lead me to the closest restaurant, their gazes never straying from me even as I hide my gun behind my coat. We are in public, but that doesn't mean I trust them. It could be a trap. Nevertheless, I follow them inside the little eatery. I ignore the chair he pulls out and sit at another, yanking it in before he can assist me. Pulling my gun from my jacket, I make sure to keep it aimed at them as they choose seats around me.

One of them watches me with a smile before another man drops into the chair next to mine. He's attractive, that's for sure, but he knows it. He has dark, nearly black hair that's cut shorter on the sides and long in the front, so it sweeps across his forehead as he moves. His eyebrows arch over bright, baby-blue eyes that lock me in place, and his pink, puffy lips tilt as he watches me. His strong, square jaw is covered in stubble that's clearly a few days old, stopping at his sharp cheekbones. His nose has a small scar across the bridge, probably from being broken once or twice, and I spot a scar on his left earlobe too.

He's a big bastard, not as big as some of the others at the table, but tall and packed with long, toned muscles. It's his eyes, however, that cause me to stare. They are cold but cunning.

"I'm Yuri." He smirks flirtatiously. I nod in acknowledgment as Zack drops into a different chair. Slowly, all the others do as well, and I run my eyes over them. The one next to Yuri is taller. He has to be nearly seven feet, with arms thicker than my body and thighs that would make a bodybuilder weep. His face is square and angular, both attractive and strong.

He appears stern with his serious, deep-brown eyes, yet his black hair is neatly styled across his head. I spot a lot of scars and tattoos peeking out of his clothes as he meets my eyes. "This is Nikolay," Zack informs me, and the big guy nods slightly at me but doesn't speak. He seems uncomfortable sitting in the tiny diner chair.

Dressed in all black, he reminds me of an assassin. "I'm Ivan," the one with the brilliant smile says, reaching over and shaking my hand gently. He's not testing my grip, just genuinely happy to meet me. Weird. He's only a few inches taller than me, but he still clearly works hard at being strong. His muscles are well-defined, but he seems friendly and easygoing.

His eyes are almost a grey slate color, which are filled with warmth where the others aren't, and are surrounded by long black lashes. His lips are a rosy color and tipped up into a smile, and they are so thick and pouty, I'm almost jealous. He's ridiculously handsome, that's for sure, and the longer I stare at his friendly face, the more I'm struck by his features.

He has a sharp jaw and cheekbones, a short beard extending up over his lip, and nicely styled hair, which is clearly meant to look like he put no time into it but very obviously did. Where Nico looks like a killer, this man looks like a model.

"Mikhail," the last man says, his thick accent rolling over his words. He sounds Serbian or Russian. I analyze him like the others. f**k, he's attractive too. What are they? A bunch of f*****g runway models? His deep brown and golden-streaked hair is pushed back carelessly and shaved at the sides. His eyes are warm, honey brown and so f*****g intense, I swear he can see into my soul.

His face is a mixture of hard and soft, with sharp cheekbones and jaw but plump, plush lips. He's got a nose that's slightly crooked, probably from being broken, and a small scar on his chin. He looks like he's from a different era, with his strong, masculine features and piercing eyes. I want to say he looks dangerous, but I'm not entirely sure. He looks like he's had a rough life, yet it hasn't affected his looks. I'd put money on the fact he has women falling at his feet. It's hard to tell his body type under his clothes, but he moves with confidence and grace, like a goddamn predator.

His lips are in a neutral line, not frowning nor tilted up. As I look at him, his long, scarred fingers tap on the table impatiently, as if playing the rhythm of a song I can't hear. He's the smallest of them, slim too, but there is a shrewd intelligence in his eyes that reminds me not to underestimate him.

I look at Zack again as he sits and scans the room. It's clear he's in charge of this ragtag bunch of men. I would have pegged Nico or Yuri as the leader, but as I continue to stare, I can see why. He's calm, collected, and clearly very smart. He almost emits a friendly vibe, which has me relaxing before I realize it.

He turns back to me like he can feel my gaze, his bright-green irises locking me in place. His hair is pale, almost an icy blond, which is shaved at the sides and then stands up on top in soft waves. He has rough stubble across his cheeks and chin, extending around his thick lips.

"So, what is this, The Avengers?" I snort, ignoring my own perusal of them and filling the silence just as a waitress comes up.

"Hi, what can I get you all?" she asks politely. She's a young girl, barely out of her teens. Her cheeks are red, and she doesn't look any of us in the eye for long. I can almost sense her nerves.

"I'll have a black coffee and a burger and fries. They are paying." I grin.

She smiles at me and winks. "I don't blame you, honey, and for you?" she asks the others.

"The same." Mikhail nods.

"I'll have a Caesar salad, please," Isaac says, flashing her an award-winning smile that almost has her gasping, but he seems oblivious as she stares.

"I want something meaty, hard, and wet," Yuri purrs, looking me over.

"He'll have the chipolatas," I retort, making Zack laugh.

"I will have the pasta, please," he interjects, "and Nico will have the steak." With that, the woman hurries off to put in the order, and I lean back, crossing my arms.

"Tell me everything," I demand, not giving them any leeway.

"So needy," Yuri teases, leaning over to touch my arm. I grab his hand, twist, and slam his face into the table before letting go and sitting back again like nothing happened.

"Touch me and die," I warn. Yuri groans but sits back.

"Touché."

"Enough," Zack snaps and then looks at me.

"I apologize for his behavior. Like you, we spent a long time locked away. It makes our... people skills rusty." Isaac grins.

"Speak for yourself."

"You didn't track me down to reminisce about my dear old daddy and his favorite torture techniques, did you?" I question, ignoring the banter. I'm unsure how to react. I'm not used to having someone look at me and know my past. I feel unbalanced and unsure, like a wild animal backed into a corner, so I lash out with the only thing I can—words.

"No, Nora, we didn't," Zack replies. My coffee arrives, and he waits for her to leave before leaning in and dropping his voice. Paranoid much? I listen carefully anyway. If what he said is true, and they are all like me, then I have questions. I thought I was the only one. For some reason, the fact that I'm not helps, even though I know just what that means for their pasts and what happened to them. Besides the flirtatious i***t and the silent, angry-looking Nikolay, they seem pretty well adjusted. So, what happened to them, and why have they suddenly tracked me down if they knew about me before?

"You must have a million questions." No s**t.

"First, what I said is true, and if you agree to help, we will answer any questions you have about our pasts, what happened, and who we are. For now, I will give you a quick rundown. Your father is dead—"

"Stop f*****g calling him that." He looks confused, but Nikolay leans in. "She means Father." His voice is dark, low, and raspy, and I jerk my eyes to his. He stares back before I incline my head.

"I do. That monster was nothing but a jailer to me, but you know that."

"Very well. Dr. Thompson is dead, but his research is still out there, and as we have discovered, it is still being used."

"Impossible," I snap.

"I'm afraid not. It seems he had a partner," Yuri mutters angrily, the flirtatious i***t nowhere to be seen, and in his eyes, I see such anger, such hate, that even I look away.

"And that partner is continuing with the work. We were locked up all around the world in different countries, always alone, but it appears there are more. These are not focused on children, but on grown men. In particular, soldiers. You see, Nora, he took the... research he did on us and proposed that if reduced to a serum and training, not only could it make the perfect soldier, but a super soldier. The child experiments were deemed a failure—too risky and too challenging on a young mind—but on a highly trained individual? It works. It makes them everything he wanted them to be, and he was doing just that. We need to find these facilities and stop what is happening before it's too late." Blowing out a breath, I think over his words as the food arrives.

"Why me?"

"You knew him better than anyone. You were his favorite, Nora, and the only successful experiment on children. We were all deemed failures and supposed to be terminated. He might have been a monster, but it seems he couldn't bring himself to kill children, so he kept us instead and raised us under lock and key. I escaped and hunted down other children. These are the only ones who are still alive. His partner does not have the same qualms about killing innocents. So, Nora, you ask why you? We can't do this without you. We need your insight, your training, and your mind to end this. We must go to the beginning, to the very first lab and experiment—your old house. We cannot get in, but you can."

"f**k," I snarl as I grip my mug. "I vowed not to go back there," I admit as images of the horrors I endured there flash in my mind. I raise my gaze, allowing them to see the haunted shadows in my eyes.

"If I do this, it will truly end?" He nods.

"We have to, you know that. No one should suffer like we did. He's dead, and it's time his research was too."

"So, it's this ragtag bunch of lost, abused kids to the rescue?" I scoff.

"We have some help," Isaac says with a grin and nods at my food.

"You should eat." I sense his worry, so I grab the burger, take a huge mouthful, and start to chew with my mouth open to make a point. For some reason, it makes Nikolay's lips twitch, and I am entranced by the movement, but when I meet his eyes, they are empty again.

"Help?" I ask once I've swallowed.

"You'll see," Yuri answers, back to his smiling happy self. How weird.

"Eat, and if you still agree to help us, we will take you there," Zack offers as he takes a dainty mouthful of food.

"Fine." I sigh. "Looks like we really are The Avengers... just hopefully without the tragic deaths and terrible costumes."

"I don't know, you do look good in leather," Mikhail teases, making me snort as I grab a fry and throw it at him. If Father could see me now, he'd have a f*****g heart attack, but it would be worth it.

My mind is still whirling over the fact that I am not alone, that there are others like me, and as they talk and laugh between each other, I analyze them. I wonder just what my father did to them and why they were to be terminated. I guess I'm going back down the rabbit hole.