Shattered Innocence

Bonds Formed and Broken

Yuri's pov:

I watch as she finishes the whole plate, appreciating a woman who knows how to eat, and when she burps, I almost swoon. There's something about Nora. She cools the anger inside me, especially when she gives as good as she gets. The others refuse to play my games, to tease or joke, but it seems her twisted, dark sense of humor is the same as mine. It's probably a result of our fucked-up pasts. Her dad made me into a psycho, then he determined I was too fucked up in the head to continue on. He said I was consumed by too much anger and hatred, and that I couldn't be trusted. Basically, I was a wild card. A threat. Therefore, I was not useful, as if spending fourteen years being locked in a bare, white room and being experimented on wouldn't do that to a kid. Seriously, what did they expect? A normal, functioning child? And they say they are the smart ones. Ivan speaks, and I look at him. He has his own issues, for sure, but he seems more normal than the rest of us. 

He can even blend in with civilians, speak, laugh, and act normal. Underneath that soft, caring façade, however, I know deep, lingering pain and anger festers inside him just like with all of us. Nikolay feels it even more than me, Mikhail harnesses his, and Zack tries to control his turbulent hatred. Me? I give in to it and let it help me, but it does make my moods unpredictable. Maybe that's why her eyes keep flicking to me when I clench the silverware. With a smirk, I bring it to my mouth and lick it as she watches. 

She rolls her eyes and looks away, but I notice a flush on her cheeks—she liked what she saw. I like having her eyes on me. That's bad, but it's too late to care now. She's one of us, and we are stuck together. 

"We should get going if we want to get back before they wonder where we are," Zack says, wiping his mouth as he pulls out money to pay. "You mean before they wonder if we have finally lost it and gone AWOL?" I snort and lean into Nora, careful not to touch her. I saw her eyes when I did it the last time, and I know she wasn't here with me. She was somewhere else, probably with the monster who fucked us all up. 

"They need us, you see, but they are also fucking terrified of us. It makes them uncomfortable that we can be so clinical and cold when on a mission. Oh yes, Nora, they need us, and they hate it." 

"Enough," Nikolay snaps and stands. Zack drops money on the table and nods at Nora, letting her go first. She ignores it and waits, so I stroll out first. 

"If you wanted to look at my ass, you should have just asked," I tease. Something whizzes by my head, embedding in the restaurant door, and a laugh booms out of me when I see the knife and feel the slight cut on my cheek. She storms past me, plucks it out, and twirls it as she glares at me. 

"I'll admit you've got a nice ass, but it's a shame about the mouth," she remarks and then pushes outside, leaving me gaping after her. Isaac chuckles and follows her. He escorts her to her bike while the rest of us pile into the car. Zack leans out of the window and calls, "Follow us." "Believe I won't try to escape?" She taunts, straddling the machine, and my mouth dries as I imagine her straddling me like that. 

"You are free to go. We are not like him, Nora, but I think you'll follow." 

"Why is that?" she grumbles. 

"Because you're interested now, and you hate what he did as much as we do." With that, Zack rolls up the window and pulls away. I turn to watch out of the window, and a few seconds later, Nora turns on her engine and follows us out into traffic, making me smile. This may be business, and we may have his twisted experiments to end, but it doesn't mean I'm not enjoying our latest group member. 

She's an improvement on these grumpy bastards, that's for sure. I'll work very closely with her.The drive takes over an hour and a half, the base set up as close to the old mansion as we dared without tipping them off—not that we had much choice. It was a military decision, the government's secret operation location. It's hidden, so if you don't know where to look, you would think nothing of it. I can almost sense Nora's hesitation as we lead her through winding country lanes, with rolling hills on either side of us. There is no one for miles. 

I wonder if she thinks it's a trap. Probably, but the girl is fearless. She doesn't turn back, and when we pull into an old, abandoned barn to park, she follows us in before turning the bike off and walking over to meet us.Her first question makes me laugh. She isn't concerned for herself but her bike. 

"Will it be okay here?" 

 "Yes, there are cameras and a fence, though you wouldn't see it, not to mention the sensors. This barn might look rundown, but it's maintained and made to look this way," Zack explains calmly before jerking his head at her. 

"Come, you can meet the people we work for. They are funding this operation." 

"Yeah, real cheerful bastards." I laugh, walking backward to keep her in my line of sight. Nikolay rolls his eyes and trips me. I leap to my feet and swing, but Ivan gets between us, as always. Mikhail mutters something and rushes to catch up with Zack, probably antsy to get back to his computers and whatever shit he was doing on them. 

Nikolay circles until he's behind her—a habit. I see her shoulders tense, but she doesn't protest, even as her eyes scan everything. She's probably spotting all the hidden cameras in the trees as we move through the scrapyard. It's a trap, of course. The cars and bits of metal are rigged with bombs, sensors, and even landmines. I did it myself. You can never be too careful, and their security was almost laughable. Mikhail said even a child could hack it. 

They didn't like that, but they grudgingly took our help.Nora stops abruptly, her eyes narrowing. "Let me guess—C4 hidden in the cars, cameras in the trees, and sensors all over the place." That's so hot, I almost groan."You forgot the mines." 

 "Of course." She nods and moves over to me, meeting my eyes confidently as my cock jerks. "I would have added a few hidden weapon caches and bail-out bags." She strides past me, and I reach down to rearrange myself. 

"I love her already," I mumble, and Nikolay glares at me, so I turn and follow her, my eyes locked on her ass. Across the next hill is a sharp incline, which is easy for us. We cover the ground in under