All of them were programmed to believe they'd cease to exist after the switch. The drugs provided by the project blocked them from fearing their own demise.
But, the project stopped poisoning their bodies with drugs. They stopped training them. They disappeared overnight as if they had never existed.
He would've believed the Alpha Bio Project had imploded from the center. The controller and handlers buried deep under the mountain, leaving the participants to suffer through the switch alone. But Four had made it out of the cave.
Grace's story about someone contacting her, using his name, suggested someone else wanted to play mind games with him.
There was a high possibility the controller and handlers weren't in the cave during the explosion.
With the return of his memories, he believed those in control of the project wanted to destroy any evidence of what they were doing in the cave.
They couldn't have enhanced killers running amok, telling wild stories that would trace back to an organization that developed enhanced human beings.
He looked behind him, straining to hear any noise alerting him to danger. Besides the extra noise of boisterous campers lingering around the sites, kids riding bicycles on the trail along the river where they typically weren't allowed, and the excess traffic on the road, everything appeared like a normal Thursday during the peak of the summer season.
Getting on his Harley, he started the engine, toed the kickstand, and rolled out of the RV Park. Once he finished with the gas station, he could go home to Grace.
She expected answers when he got home. He understood she needed more information to keep her here, and her feelings were compromised because of the dangers she was in.
He also realized Trip had informed Bonnie about his enhancements, and they'd worked everything out. The information had stayed between the two of them, and Bonnie hadn't sought anyone's opinion outside her relationship.
Afraid Grace wouldn't be as accepting, considering how she was put in his life for a reason even he failed to understand. He couldn't expect her to fall into his arms when she learned the truth.
To keep the truth from her was for her own good.
And for his.
His ability to handle the current situation without turning to drugs depended on her. He wasn't ashamed of admitting his weaknesses. The cravings were always there. They'd never leave. It was who he was and would always be.
Grace wasn't like him. She was sunshine and pure.
What he had to confess could only be done in small steps. Otherwise, she'd leave him.
Fuck knew, in his life, he would never deserve her.
But there was something there, hovering in the air between them, that even he couldn't understand. Someone else had a hand in their meeting, and only one organization knew him better than he knew himself.
To think that the Alpha Bio Project had a way to get to Grace struck fear in his heart. No one. Nobody was going to get their hands on her.
A street bike zoomed past him on the main road. He tensed, recognizing Prez.
Keenan sped forward, passing a chain of ATV riders, and turned left, following Prez. Opening the throttle, he caught up with Prez as he braked hard in front of the gate leading to the clubhouse.
He had his kickstand down as soon as he stopped and jumped off his bike. Keenan shut off the Harley. "Hey, hey, hey."
Prez kept walking, ignoring him.
Grabbing Prez, he slid between him and the gate. "You're not supposed to be out of the boathouse."
"I need to be with the men." Prez pushed him out of the way, took his key out, and unlocked the gate. "In or out?"
"Fuck." He stepped inside the yard and waited for Prez to lock them on club property. "How are you feeling?"
"How the fuck do you think I feel?" Prez strode forward.
"You remember...?"
Prez jumped up the steps and stopped at the door. "Forget it. Forget it all. It's the only way we're all going to survive, and I'm going to make sure every fucking member does the same thing. I will not let the Alpha Bio Project destroy everything I've built with Avery Falls Motorcycle Club. Got it?"
He dipped his chin and stepped back. His care of Prez was over. He had his president back and someone else to watch over the men.
Prez kept his gaze, understanding passing between them, as he opened the door. Keenan stayed behind long after the door closed. He sat down on the top step and gazed out at the town over the secure fence line.
He inhaled deeply, taken by surprise at how Prez rebounded after the switch.
He suspected he'd never hear what Prez learned about his past. The future was the club. The brotherhood.
His past was dead.
Chapter Twenty Six
Grace sat in front of Keenan with her back against his chest in the backyard. She tried to get up several times to see his face, but he'd tighten his arms and hold her tighter.
Ever since he came home, he'd acted strangely. Unable to sit still, he wandered the house, frequently stopping in front of her before becoming agitated.
When she'd asked him what was wrong, he only shook his head. Eventually, he took her outside.
She thought he was going to exercise in the pole building, like usual. But they hadn't made it inside yet. He'd planted his butt in the grass and pulled her down to sit with him.
His behavior was starting to scare her.
The more unsettled she felt, the more she wanted to go home. She was good at running away from her problems. It was easier than facing them.
That's why being a photographer fit her lifestyle. Every job was unique and involved traveling to different locations. So as soon as she got too close to someone or felt off or bored, she could pack her things and leave.
Her stomach fluttered. It was hard being pulled in two different directions. One minute she wanted to go home, and in the next minute, she wanted to stay with Keenan—but have control of her life back.
A million times a day, she called herself all kinds of a fool for believing their relationship would work out. Nothing about it was right.
She couldn't even imagine a future with him if her sister wasn't in her life. Someday, being separated from her family would come between her and Keenan.
Wanting him was breaking her heart.
She couldn't understand her feelings and why she was attracted to him. Why would she have empathy for him? Why would her body crave him physically? Why was she drawn to him?
He lifted her and grabbed her hand. Without shoes on, she hurried alongside him to the pole building. She was past the point of getting him to talk and having him hold her, pull her, silence her. Everything he'd done rubbed her the wrong way.
Inside the building, she shook off his hand and stepped away from him. "I want to stay in the house while you work out."
Distance would do them both a world of good. If she hung around, watching him lift weights and doing what he enjoyed, she'd only grow angrier.
"I want you to run." He pointed across the expanse of the building. "To the back wall and back."
She shook her head. He'd lost his freaking mind.
"Come on." He put one foot in front of the other and pointed toward the floor. "I'm going to race you. We'll start here and run the length of the room."
"I don't want to race." She crossed her arms. "I'm not in the mood to run. I'll never be in the mood to run. All I want to do is sit down with you and talk."