Chapter 12

All the shadows I'd pushed aside rushed back at the sight of Danny's face. The last time I'd seen him, his hands gripping, his body against mine. I'd selfishly given into my own desires and conjured the fate I deserved.

"Why are you here?" I asked as a hundred bad answers ushered through my mind. He'd brought them here. He came looking for us. He was a doctor. A scientist. They'd sent him in first to inspect, and now, he'd report back. My hands shook. He'd report back, and they'd come. Each breath was hollow, and the world was suddenly out of focus.

"Someone tipped them off," Danny said. "About the doses I was giving. They showed up unannounced and audited my files, checking them with the subjects I had in therapy at the time." He paused. "One didn't match up."

My lips parted around a breath. He'd replaced me. There'd been more than one. Hell, there'd probably been dozens, a hundred. "You got caught."

Danny grimaced and nodded.

Croc hadn't said a word. He stood stock still, like an impenetrable wall between me and the man I'd once relied on for protection. Only, with Croc, his protection was unconditional and absolute. There were no half measures, slight adjustments, or just-enough-so-I-can-lives. No price. No expectations. There was just me, Julia, the kids, and god help any asshole that wanted to do us harm.

Acknowledging that made me relax, and I pressed a hand to the center of Croc's back in silent gratitude.

Danny couldn't hurt me, not in the present moment. But he was here, and I had no idea what to do about it. I'd escaped purgatory. I'd found a way into whatever heaven this was, but the Devil was tricky, and it hadn't taken him long to track me down. "Are you hurt?" I didn't care, but seeing him brought back the urge to lie, to pretend, and like riding a bike, I slipped right into that familiar rhythm.

"I'm just worn." He exhaled heavily to punctuate his statement. "I had no warning. No time to prepare. I grabbed the only bag I keep with me," he held up a boxy, leather case. "I took a government vehicle as far as I could, then walked the rest of the way here."

"You knew about the dumping? This place?" My suspicion grew. What were the odds? How likely was it for him to come to this exact spot, finding us?

"Of course, Willow," he said. "I know everything that has to do with my work. They have half a dozen of these sites."

"Good," Croc finally spoke. "Go to another one."

Danny paled, suddenly more aware of the massive monster towering over him. He tilted his head back, inspecting him how he would a chart full of vitals. "The next site isn't anywhere near here..."

"Good," Croc said again.

Danny stammered, mouth opening but no sound brave enough to emerge. For a moment, he looked lost. He was alone, in a strange place with no advantage. He was at our mercy, and he knew this. It was written on his face. He didn't say the words, but his expression made it clear. He was pleading, begging me to help him.

It was nice. "What is it, Danny?" I asked in mock innocence.

Annoyance pinched the corners of his eyes and mouth, but a glance at Croc kept him from reacting how I knew he would were the situation different. "Please. Willow." His voice tightened. "Let's not forget I kept you alive. I helped you. You'd have died a long time ago had it not been for me."

"What are you willing to pay?" I crossed my arms and lifted a brow. "And be careful, Danny. Croc here is a bit sweet on me. Say the wrong thing, and I just don't know if I'll be able to save you." I sighed. "You know how it is. There's only so much I control around here."

"You've made your point!" he snapped.

Croc took a large step forward, and Danny stumbled.

He loomed above him, at least a foot taller and twice as big. "I still haven't made mine." His voice was a low rumble, barely intelligible.

The tone shot a shiver down my spine, and I stared at him, stunned. It was a side I'd never seen before. Even when he'd saved my life from the alligators, he hadn't been frightening, not really. Impressive, yes. Awe-inspiring, yes. But this was different. This was the kind of threatening that resounded. It didn't matter that he was on my side. It didn't make a difference if it was directed at me or not. "Croc," I breathed, too afraid to call out any louder.

He stiffened a fraction, then took a step back and reached behind to grip my hand.

Danny lifted his hands in surrender, but his tight jaw told the truth. He was painting himself, just as he always had. The color of acceptance sloppily thrown over his irritation. Total submission in exchange for temporary time to plan. "Yes," he heaved instead of no, "I'm sorry. You're right, Willow. What do you want me to do?"

I'm not sorry. You're wrong, Willow. How can I gain control?

I clutched Croc's fingers, giving myself a moment to remember that he was with me, then I smiled at the situation we had found ourselves in. Our roles had reversed. Danny had used every bit of his power to prey on the ones below him. He'd added to the suffering of those steadily walking toward their deaths. He'd humiliated me, degraded me, and I wanted him to feel that shame. I wanted him to feel small, but I couldn't think of any punishment worthy of his crimes. At least, not yet.

"You're a Doctor. You can start by checking to make sure everyone is healthy. Then, I want information. I want to know about the green. I want every piece of knowledge you have."

Danny nodded and shook his bag. "This is my medical kit. I have all of my basic supplies." He cut a glance at Croc. "I'm a doctor. Doctors are particularly useful things to have around."

Not in my experience.

Croc snorted, then gripped the back of Danny's neck and pushed his head down, forcing him into an awkward walk toward the house.

I followed behind in awe of him. It was like a dream. Could he sense how deeply I'd been destroyed by this man? Could he pick up on my desires, like he had up on the roof? Did he know that the man he held had hurt me in ways that could never be truly healed?

Did he know Danny was part of the reason for my shame?

Julia and the kids were fast asleep inside, and Croc made no move to expose them to his captive. When he made it on the porch, he shoved Danny hard, dropping the man as if he were another fish he'd pulled from the canal. "Gator," Croc said, and it was all he needed to.

Gator pulled his big body onto the dock and laid beside Danny, mouth split apart into a toothy grin that looked anything but friendly.

Croc went inside, then emerged a second later with the lamp that'd been burning on the kitchen table. He hung it on a dock post, then looked at me.

Suddenly, he was my best friend. He was an ally. We had a common enemy, my enemy, and having this man on my side was like having an army. "Thank you, Croc."

His stoic expression broke a fraction, just a small crack that lifted the very corner of his mouth.

I focused back on Danny and swallowed a fresh wave of bile. The last thing I wanted was for him to touch me, but I also knew I'd be an idiot to pass up the chance to utilize his skill. The chemical therapy had taken a toll on me, and while I'd been feeling better, I had no idea what long term effects the green had. I didn't know what living in this strange environment would do. I sat beside him, then nodded toward his bag. "Just check me out and see if everything is okay."

"I can do a basic physical, but I have no way of determining any underlying—"

"No shit, Danny. I didn't expect you to have an MRI machine in your bag."

His lips pursed. "Right." He shifted to his knees, opened the bag, then pulled out a stethoscope and positioned it into his ears.

When it came time to touch me, however, he paused and looked at Croc, whose hard stare would have made me take my chances with the gators.

"It's fine," I said. "Go ahead."

Danny cleared his throat and carefully took my wrist between his fingers, then slowly—painfully slow—pushed the stethoscope to the center of my chest. The minute he got close, I held my breath. I didn't want to move. I didn't want to create any more contact than was needed, and I didn't want to get a whiff of his scent. It would be too much.

I flinched as he pressed the cold equipment to my skin, then quickly lifted a hand toward Croc. "I'm fine."

"Take a deep breath in and hold it," Danny said, listening intently as I complied. "Blow it out slow," he continued. "Again. Deep breath in through your nose..." He fell silent, brows furrowed. After a few moments, he removed the stethoscope, tapped it, then put it back.

I continued to hold my breath, hating each gulp of his cologne he forced me to inhale, focusing on the night sounds, the fireflies, and Croc's unwavering presence.

"Let it out slow," Danny said. "Now, breathe normally." He listened, face blank and out of focus as he forgot all about Croc, his situation, and the danger. "Amazing."

"What's amazing?" I drew away.

Danny sat back. "Your heart. It sounded a bit off, then when you held your breath, it slowed."

"Is that not normal?"

"Not to this extent. The average heart rate is fifty to one hundred beats per minute. Yours slowed down to three." The words awakened something in him, some eager piece of his scientific mind.

A cold chill raced down my spine. "What does that mean?"

"For swimming," Croc said. "It happens when you need to conserve your oxygen."

Danny opened his mouth, then closed it, choosing to focus on me. "I don't know yet. It could be the environment." He side-eyed Croc. "If I could check his, maybe..."

"Good," Croc said. "Check mine. Willow is done." He smacked his chest twice, then balled his hands into fists and let them hang ready at his sides.

Danny hesitated. "You're sure it's all right?" He lingered. "Maybe I shouldn't."

"You're done talking to her," Croc said. "I wasn't asking. Check mine."

He didn't need to say it again.

Danny looked ready to bolt as he felt Croc's pulse and listened to his heartbeat, and Croc didn't give him any reprieve. He glared at his face, jaw tight, eyes narrowed.

But something happened. Whatever Danny heard made him stand straighter, listen more intently, and lose himself in his work. He dropped the stethoscope and stepped back, appraising his finding like a prized horse at a market. "That's impossible."

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's for swimming," Croc said again.

"He all but stopped his heart, then sped it up, then slowed it again. He controlled it!" Danny cupped his forehead and looked Croc over with a new intensity. Like a puzzle. An experiment.

I wanted to hide him. I wanted to shield him from view and protect him from all I knew a man like Danny would do. But I also had questions. I had questions that had been burning my mind since the first time I'd seen the neon green. I had questions about this place, about my heart, about what they wanted to achieve with their studies. I had so many questions and, for once, I could have them all answered. But I wouldn't. Not tonight, because as much as I needed those things, I needed to protect Croc more. "That's enough for now."

Croc rumbled agreement. "You sleep outside," he said. "Gator will protect you."

Gator snickered, and I gasped as Croc closed the gap and scooped me into his arms. I scrambled, clinging to his neck and fighting to regain balance as he scaled the house.