“He’s back at the hotel.” She whirled around to glare at Jade. “Did you stop to think what might happen if you got separated?”
Jade paled. “He didn’t—”
“Nothing happened,” Ginger snapped. She held the redhead’s gaze for a moment before turning around in her seat. Over her shoulder, she mumbled, “But this whole thing could have easily been a disaster.”
We drove the rest of the way in silence. The car pulled up in front of the hotel as Alex’s friend, Dax, Mom, and Kale came bursting from the front door.
“What’s wrong?” Ginger asked, slowly extracting herself and her cane from Sira’s front seat. I hadn’t noticed at the police station, but the tips of her light blue slippers ended in a pair of beady eyes and a bright yellow beak. The smallest of the Angry Birds.
Dax hesitated and shook his head, eyes on me. “Just got a text from Alex. He was at that party.” He clicked a button on his key fob, and the white Chevy on the other side of the lot flashed its headlights and beeped twice. “They chased him into Memorial Park.”
A lump formed in the pit of my stomach. “They? Who, the cops?” Alex had a bad rep with the local PD. One more infraction, and he was going to land in serious hot water.
“They as in Denazen.”
16
Kale sat up front with Dax, while Mom, Jade, and I squeezed into the backseat. I’d expected an argument from Ginger when I flew across the lot to Dax’s car without so much as a word, but she’d stayed silent and disappeared inside the hotel. I bet it was because of something she’d seen. We were all supposed to be at that park. If we weren’t, we would have never gotten out of the parking lot. It would have been comforting if I didn’t know her so well. Even if one of us was slated to bite the big one, she would have let us go simply because it was meant to be.
When we got to the park, Dax rounded us up. He looked at Mom, brows raised, but said nothing.
It was weird. She nodded and tapped her hip as the smallest hint of a smile shadowed her lips.
We split up in hopes of finding Alex faster. Mom went with me and Jade, while Dax took Kale. I was pretty sure if it was anyone other than Alex, Dax might have suggested he and Kale go separately, but I think he was worried about what Kale would do if he found Alex first.
I was a little surprised at first that we’d split. Of all of us, Kale had the only offensive ability, and it made more sense to stick together. It might have made searching slower, but it would be safer. One could argue that Jade was invincible, and Mom was nearly as big a badass as Kale, but it seemed like we’d gone off to battle without any weapons—until I saw the subtle bulge beneath Mom’s shirt. She was carrying.
Always alert, Mom scanned the woods off to the right of the path as we went. “You didn’t see him at the party?”
I hadn’t even known he was there. “I wasn’t there long, and it was dark.”
“OhmyGod,” Jade whispered, panicked. She grabbed my arm and yanked, almost knocking me off balance. “Something moved in those bushes.”
I shoved her off, pointed to the ground, and smiled. From under the bush, long ears attached to a tiny brown speckled head peeked out. “Yeah. That bunny is a Denazen suit in disguise. Where do you suppose he’s hiding his gun? Or maybe he doesn’t need one. Maybe he’s a martial arts master trained in the art of kickassery.”
“Bitch,” she mumbled, turning away.
We walked for a good ten minutes without seeing any sign of Alex, the others, or Denazen. Unfortunately, Memorial Park was exceptionally huge. There were seven hiking trails, two lakes and a pool, and basketball, tennis, and racquetball courts. Without a clue from Alex about where he was hiding, this could take all night.
“I’ll bet you a million Metal Face made a break for it and is long gone.” Jade stopped walking and folded her arms. “We’re wasting our time.”
“No,” Mom said, stopping beside her. “Dax told him to stay put.”
“So that must mean he did it, right?” Jade snipped with a dramatic roll of her hand.
Mom squeezed her eyes closed and sighed. “Dez is right. You’re extremely annoying.”
It was something I’d expect from Kale, not Mom. She was usually quiet in her opinions and tended to stand back and watch rather than get involved. “Okay, it’s official. I have the coolest mom in the universe.”
Jade opened her mouth—assumedly to shoot off another snipe—but froze. Arm flailing, she gave a small shimmy and squealed, “Notabunny. Notabunny!”
Just past the West Lake gate at the head of the path, four suits were charging toward us. Mom reached behind her and yanked out the gun, dropping to her knees and taking aim. One shot. One agent down. The bullet hit him in the knee and he let out anguished scream.
“Get back,” Mom spat. I hesitated, not wanting to leave her, but she screamed, “Now!”
I didn’t argue. Grabbing the back of Jade’s shirt, I took several steps away and tucked us behind a large pine tree. More shots rang out, and Mom cursed. One of the agents yelled something, followed by a moment of silence, then the appearance of Mom around the other side of the large tree.
“I got three of the four. The last one ran off, so we should be—”
The moon was nearly full and the night sky clear. The agent thought he was being sneaky, coming up around behind Mom while we were all distracted, but his shadow announced him right before he reached the tree.
I yanked Mom forward just as his arm shot out to pull her back. She shoved me away, but I didn’t take it personally. I’d seen her in action during the battle at Sumrun. She was a lot like Kale. Completely immersed and focused on the task at hand. At the moment, that task was beating down one of Denazen’s not-so-finest.
I poked my head around the tree. There were two more approaching. “Company’s coming.”
Mom ducked a swing and retaliated with one of her own, catching the agent squarely in the gut. “Head for the woods,” she huffed. “I’ll be right there.”
We scattered. I ran for the woods as instructed while Jade took off in a different direction.
I stopped at the tree line, trying to decide if I should attempt to follow her, but one of the approaching agents said, “Grab the redhead. I’ll get Cross’s kid.”
Cross’s kid? What the hell? Was there a milk carton picture going around? These freaks knew me on sight? In the dark? Feet pounded the concrete trail close on my tail. There was no time to wait for Mom or go looking for Jade. I had to shake him.
Or at the very least, gain some ground.
When he was closer, I stopped short and dropped to the dirt. I jarred my knee, which was already sore from the window incident, and both wrists. It was less than graceful, but effective.
Unable to stop in time, the guy stumbled over my back and crashed to the ground. I didn’t wait. As soon as he was down, I was up and sprinting toward the tree line.
But I changed my mind at the last minute. Instead of heading for the woods, I veered toward the playground. Through the sand and under the monkey bars. Over the seesaw. Around the slide. Finally back on the path, I made my way into the picnic area. It was heavily wooded. It’d be a safe enough place to stop and catch my breath.
I ducked behind a thick maple and stretched out my left arm, wiggling each of my fingers. With every movement, I had to bite down to keep from crying out. The pain was getting worse. The gunfire had stopped, and now the park was silent except for the occasional cricket and rustling leaves. Mom and Kale could take care of themselves—Dax and Alex, too—but I was still worried. And Jade… Unfortunately she’d be fine. I was willing to bet she was working for Dad, so there wasn’t any real danger for her.
After a few short moments and a somewhat lower heart rate, I stepped out from behind the tree. Karma, continuing the Screw Dez kick it seemed to be on lately, had a Denazen agent walking into the picnic area at the exact same moment. Our eyes locked. I bolted but wasn’t fast enough.
He leapt, tackling me against the nearest tr
ee. I hit the trunk hard with my right arm at an odd angle. There was no gentleness as he pinned both arms behind me, elbow jabbed into the hollow of my back to keep me under control.
Biting down on the inside of my lip, I sniffled. The way he had me against the tree allowed no movement. I was pinned awkwardly beneath all his weight. Even if I struggled with everything I had, I wouldn’t get free. Time for a different tact. “Please…”
“Hold still,” he mumbled, tugging my arms tighter. There was a chance he intended to rip them clean off.
I did exactly as he asked.
Another sniffle and a soft whimper—a real one that time. My left arm was on fire. I let my shoulders shake slightly and inched my right hand out from under me. It hurt like hell, and I had to gnaw on the inside of my lip to keep from screaming.
“Oh, cut the crap, kid. I didn’t hurt you.” He didn’t sound sure.
Perfect.
I shook a little harder and for good measure, added some more sound effects.
The guy seemed to buy it. “Hey, look, everything will be fine. No one wants to hurt you.” I wasn’t sure if he actually believed it, or he was just that good a liar, but it didn’t matter. He was distracted, and that’s what I was aiming for.
Right arm free. There was a branch to the left next to my hip. Just a few more inches, and it’d be in my hand. “You wanna kill me,” I whined. “Do all sorts of experiments to see what makes me tick.”
I must have stumped him because he hesitated. “Experiments? Um, we’re not like Area 51, kid. We’re trying to help.”
Help. Yeah. And I was the Dalai Lama in drag. More sniffles. “You—you swear?”
One.
More.
He loosened his hold. “Yeah.”
Inch.
My fingers closed around the branch, and I twisted hard. The wood broke free from the trunk, and I focused on the memory of the metal piping in the hotel basement Ginger had Alex and me scrub as part of our detention duty. The rough bark smoothed out and evened, becoming cool to the touch. The moon danced from behind the clouds, and the stick-turned-thin-metal-pipe gleamed in its light.
“Liar,” I spat, twisting. The pipe flew up—a projectile with all my strength behind it, aimed at his head. I had to bite my tongue to keep from yelping when something stretched in a way nature hadn’t intended, and a sharp pain shot from my elbow to my neck. The metal connected with an echoing zing, sending Mr. Clueless stumbling backward.
He would have hit the ground if someone hadn’t been standing there to help him.
Kale caught the man, bare fingers wrapping tight around his neck. In one graceful turn, he slammed the suit into the tree behind them. Crumbling on impact, the body dissolved into a billion ash-like particles that scattered away in the breeze.
Kale brushed the dusty remnants of the man from his hoodie and closed the distance until there was only about half a foot separating us. Maybe less. Icy blue irises filled every inch of my vision. “Did he hurt you?”
His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. Tension. Shoulders taut, he kept his arms board straight and his eyes on me. Twice I could have sworn his fingers twitched.
“I’m fine,” I whispered, dropping the pipe. The metal clattered against a rock and rolled before falling silent on the ground between us. It ended up in a perfect horizontal line, and I couldn’t help admiring the irony. Lately the universe seemed intent on throwing things in our way. “You?”
He moved closer. “They’re ill-equipped to deal with me. None of them are wearing safe suits.”
I swallowed. In my mind there was a flashing neon sign above Kale’s head that said, Do Not Touch. Still, I almost did it, anyway. For a second, I didn’t care what would happen. I just wanted to feel his skin against mine—even if it was the last thing I did. “Dax?”
Sleeve pulled over his fingertips, he brushed the hair from my face. “Being away from you made me uneasy. I left him to find you.”
I wanted to argue that leaving Dax alone to find me wasn’t the right thing to do, but it was pointless. If I wanted to be totally honest with myself, had I been with anyone other than my mom, I would have done the same thing.
Something moved in the brush beyond the picnic tables. Sleeve still secured over his skin, Kale took my arm and started walking down the path toward the cliffs. “We should find Alex and the others. There are seven Denazen men in this park right now. More are likely on the way. If they know I’m here, I have no doubts they’ll come better prepared.”
“Seven? Are you sure? How do you know?”
He shrugged. “I saw them. There are seven.”
Someone stepped onto the path in front of us. “Seven Denazen men. That’s not including—”
Then another someone. “Sixes, yeah?”
“I swear,” I mumbled, stopping short. “I must have been Jack the Ripper in another life. I’m being punished.”
“Nice to see you again, girly,” Able said. The gash on his head had been cleaned and left to the open air. It went from the tip of his ear and disappeared under his hairline just above the right eye. A swell of pride filled me—I’d gotten him good. He saw me looking and tapped the side of his head. Without his usual, taunting smile, he said, “I owe you for this.”
Kale stepped in front of me, the corner of his lip curling up. He looked between them, eyes falling on Able. There hadn’t been much time before the accident for Kale to study the twins, but somehow he could tell them apart. “You were driving the van.”
Able winked. “Finally. The famous 98, yeah? We didn’t have a chance to meet properly earlier. You remember—when you crashed my van?”
I tugged back on Kale’s hoodie, but he resisted.
“I only dented the roof. The real destruction came from Alex. I would be happy to supply you with his address,” Kale stated calmly. “If I wasn’t about to touch you,” he amended with a slight chuckle. Sleeve pushed up past his elbow, he reached for Able.
Goth Boy raised his hands in dramatic surrender. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, 98. I think it would upset your girl. Besides, we’re not here to bust your balls.”
He stepped back, making room for Aubrey to take his place.
Kale’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you here?”
“Just wanting to check in.” Aubrey grinned and nodded toward my shoulder. “See how our friend Dez is doing.”
Both twins stared, their eyes daring me to say something.
Aubrey made a move to grab my hand. Kale’s reaction was instant.
“NO!” It didn’t occur to me that Kale could accidentally touch me. All I could think of was Kale touching Aubrey. I wasn’t protecting him, I was protecting myself. If what Dad said was true—still a big if, in my opinion—Aubrey was the only way to cure the poison. If he died, I died. I shoved past Kale and got between them.
The three of them watched me. Aubrey and Able wore amused expressions while Kale’s was confused. His gaze lingered for a moment before turning back to the twins.
“She doesn’t seem to want you dead. If you don’t leave now, I will reconsider.”
“Don’t go all rebel commando on us, yeah? We’ll go.”
Aubrey snickered as they turned and started back up the path. Over his shoulder, he called, “I’m sure we’ll run into each other again soon.”
Once they were out of sight, Kale turned back to me. Suspicion was written all over his face. “The one with the wound—you hit him?”
He’d been unconscious for a short time, so I’d taken my chances. Should have known better. “I hit him in the van while you were out.”
He was quiet for a moment. “The wound was fresh.”
I knew the look I’d get but said it anyway. “It’s complicated.”
“Dez,” he warned, taking a step closer. “There is something you’re not telling me.”
“I—”
“What the hell are you two doing standing out in the open?” Dax emerged from the shadows of the trees. He stalked
across the field, cell phone in hand. Jabbing it at Kale, he snapped, “And where the hell did you go?”
Kale didn’t even blink. “I went to find Dez. You were fine on your own.”
Dax, normally impossible to ruffle, looked like he wanted to scream. “Everyone was supposed to stay with their partners!”
“You’re not my partner,” Kale said. There was no argument in the tone of his voice. Only a simple, static logic that was all Kale. “Dez is..”
Dax might have argued, but his phone began to vibrate. He stared at the screen for a second before waving us forward. “It’s Alex. He’s in the maintenance house on the south side of the park. He’s hurt.”
“Hurt? What do you mean, hurt?”
Dax looked worried. He pocketed the cell and nodded to the path leading up to the pool area. “We should hurry.”
17
Mom, who we found halfway down the hill, had shifted into one of the Denazen suits once we reached the bottom. Dad, to be exact. There was something eerie having Mom-as-Dad standing there with us. I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream.
Or run.
Jade found us as we came through the south gate. She seemed fine but kept looking over her shoulder like she expected someone to come bursting from the woods at any moment. Together again, we’d made our way to the maintenance house where Alex was holed up and were now crouching behind the bushes several yards from the building. Two men stood outside, one blocking the main door, and one in front of the window with a cell phone glued to his ear.
“What’s the plan?” I asked, peering over the top of a large bush. Dax still hadn’t told us what hurt meant, but I imagined it had to be bad if Alex got himself cornered in the first place.
“Shanna will go in and create a distraction. When she has their attention, Kale will move in and take them out.”
Shanna? Dax had a nickname for my mom? What the hell…?