Avenged (The Altered Series) (13 page)

They couldn’t be allowed to get to those trucks.

With a massive mental push, the sound of wood splintering echoed through the air. Then, the roof of the hangar caved in, the entire building imploding.

Nick staggered, his head pounding. Dizziness overwhelmed him, and his vision blurred. Damn, that hurt. Too much, too fast.

Small arms circled him, pulling him backward—Kitty, steadying him.

He did his best not to lean on her, but he probably failed. “Think I might have overdone it a bit.”

“Yeah,” she sounded grim in his ear. She pushed him into the Hummer’s passenger seat. “Sit here. I’ll drive.”

She slammed his door. A moment later she hopped into the driver’s seat, and they were peeling out of the parking lot, gravel spitting behind them.

The light was almost gone as they barreled down the rock-covered drive. Despite his blurry vision, a chainlink fence stretched in front of them, laced with barbed wire on the top.

Kitty didn’t slow.

They rammed the fence full speed, breaking through, and continued forward. He closed his eyes, rubbing his temple. “Anyone following us?”

“No.” Their speed increased. “I’d like to keep it that way.”

His vision started to clear. That had to be a good sign. “You okay driving the getaway car?”

“Not really.” She glanced at him as they fishtailed out onto a deserted two-lane road. She hit the gas, picking up their pace. “But we all learn to adapt.”

Chapter Fourteen

After about ten minutes, Nick insisted that he was well enough to drive. The rearview mirror was still empty. Kitty pulled over and left him to it. She had her license, but she’d only driven a car a few times—her parents usually drove—so she figured Nick had more practice at it.

They switched seats and were quickly moving again.

They drove on, following signs for Interstate 80, leading Nick to believe they might be in Wyoming. After another hour of traveling at top speeds, Nick veered off when he saw a Walmart sign. He parked.

“I think you should stay here,” he offered, his hands on the steering wheel, his eyes straight ahead.

She might have argued at another time, but she was exhausted. Holding Jeremy that long had taken a toll. Besides, Nick’s thoughts jumped around. He could use a minute alone, she suspected.

So she nodded. He left the car running and went inside.

Five minutes later, he returned in different clothes—jeans and a navy jacket. Reaching under his shirt, he yanked out a pair of leggings, a sweatshirt, and a pair of slip-on shoes. “I got you something.”

He could have presented her with flowers or diamonds, and she wouldn’t have been any happier. She realized the clothes had probably been stolen. They didn’t have any money. But if she’d learned anything, it was that sometimes people did what they had to in order to survive. They’d be less visible in these clothes than in their jumpsuits.

She scurried into the backseat and hurried into the clothes as Nick sped off again.

The shoes were too big, but she’d never been so happy to put on something that didn’t have snaps.

As Nick didn’t seem to be in a talkative mood, she remained quiet as she climbed back into the passenger seat. The silence stretched on as he thought through what they should do, watched for people following them, and worried about her.

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled off the highway at a Travelodge. Nick drove the Hummer around the back, out of sight of the street.

“I need to call Martins.” He turned off the car. “We can do that here, get some sleep, maybe. Figure out what to do.”

“I know.” She’d listened to his plan after all. “You’ve stolen some wallets.”

His mouth thinned, and he pulled them out of the pocket of his new jacket. “Yeah. One from a mom who was turned, yelling at her kids. Another lady, debating between yogurts.” He dropped them on the seat beside her. “Amazing how many women shop with the top of their bags open.”

He grimaced, hating what he’d done. She squeezed his arm, shrugged. “What else could we do?”

“Yeah.” He opened each of them, yanking out the cash. “Looks like about ninety bucks, total. Let’s hope that gets us a room for the night.” He didn’t touch the cards. Cards left trails.

“You think it’s safe? To stop?”

“I don’t know, but I think the sooner we contact Martins, the better.” He slipped outside. “You coming?”

“I’ll wait here while you get the room.” She didn’t have a good poker face. She was afraid she’d look guilty, give them away.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“Leave the car on.” He closed the door gently, talking through the broken window. “Move into the driver’s seat. That way, if you need to get going fast, you can.”

She might have laughed at him if she didn’t know how ragged his nerves already were. She did as he asked. But she did sigh and roll her eyes.

“If you have to,” he said, “just leave me…”

She cut him off at that. “Nick. I’m fine. You’ll only be inside for a few minutes. Go.” She could manage by herself that long, for goodness sakes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” He floundered between wanting to keep her close and worrying that she would be out in the open.

“I’m no good at lying. I should stay.” She smiled. “Seriously. You’ll be right back. I’m fine.”

“Right.” He nodded, still uncertain. He didn’t like how quiet and secluded the hotel was. Finally, he rapped his knuckles twice on the roof and jogged to the door. She watched him and admired the play of his rear end as he ran.

It was funny… Three weeks ago, she would have thought his behavior was bossiness and overbearing jerkiness. Now, she knew him. He fussed, he worried. He needed to watch over the people he cared about, and he feared that something he would do would result in her being harmed.

She found it pretty adorable.

Glancing around, she took in the motel. It wasn’t big and appeared to be in need of some TLC. The sign lit fully, so that was something. Smaller indications of shabbiness surrounded her. Weeds grew out of cracks in the asphalt. Some of the rooms showed signs of long-term tenants, with plastic chairs by the doors and different colored curtains. The parking spaces looked like a used car lot…from a decade ago.

To her, it felt like paradise.

They’d made it. They’d escaped.

Nick returned, and she couldn’t contain her joy. “We did it. We made it out.”

“Yes. That we did.” Nick’s jaw tightened. Their departure played through his mind. Her, holding Jeremy captive in his own head. Him, taking down a whole bunch of cars and a helicopter. He focused on the dangerous parts, not the end result. “Come on. Let’s go in.”

She followed him up the side stairs, silent, not sure what to say to soothe him.

The motel must’ve been
really
old because he pulled a key—not a key card—out of his pocket and let them into room 208.

The door swung open revealing a room with the basics: a queen bed, a dresser with an older television on it, a standing lamp. Nick flipped on the lamp and the raggedness of it was cast in stark light. None of these things had been purchased in this decade.

“Home sweet home.”

Kitty stepped in, looking closer. “It’s definitely nothing fancy.” She swiped her finger along the dresser and threw back the bedspread to find crisp sheets. Leaning over, she inhaled. Only freshness greeted her. “But it’s clean.”

“That’s something.”

Nick closed the door behind him and immediately picked up the phone. His movements were jerky.

He was off, but she couldn’t figure out why.

She listened as he maneuvered through the maze of connections to speak with someone at the Army. She retreated to the restroom to splash water on her face, and to give him some privacy.

In the bathroom, she turned the hot water on. As her fingers played in the stream, she sighed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt warm water on her skin.

In the other room, she listened to Nick’s conversation with Martins in his head. “Wyoming somewhere, I expect. Can you get us tonight?”

I need to clear you…
Martins hedged. Nick’s frustration exploded.

“Bullshit, sir. You need to get us out of here. The longer we’re here, the more vulnerable we are.”

I realize that, son. Are you somewhere safe?

“I think so. But we don’t have a lot of time. Fields. The doctor? Goldstone cut him loose.”

We are aware
.

Nothing else? Only we are aware? What kind of answer was that?

Nick was equally incensed. “Sir, he plans to sell the drug, what appears to be a significant quantity. He planned to sell Kitty.” The red-tinted anger filled his mind. She closed her eyes, hurting for him.

I see.

That also didn’t sound promising. Nick’s problem was he didn’t know exactly what Martins knew and what he didn’t. Nick was fishing, and he didn’t know what to use as bait.

He paused.
Need to offer incentive. Won’t get us unless incentive.
“Kitty can control people’s minds.”

Control them
? Martins didn’t conceal his surprise that time. Kitty stared at herself in the mirror. What did that matter?

“Yes. There’s no one else that can do that, at least that I know of. Fields is going to sell Kitty along with the drug to a Middle Eastern businessman with terrorist connections.”

Martins remained silent.

“You need to get her. She’s important.”

There was a long pause.

“We have your location. There is a field behind the motel. The extraction will occur there in two hours.”

“Thank you, sir.” Nick barely concealed amusement. He marveled at the “what have you done for me lately?” mentality of the military as he dropped the phone in its cradle.

Kitty unwrapped the hotel soap bar and splashed water on her face—goodness that felt good—and lathered her hands. She considered the conversation.

Why had Nick mentioned her to make Martins to agree to come quickly? More important, why had it worked? There were so many things Nick could have said. He could have mentioned that he was changed. He could have told him that there were at least ten changed soldiers, with plans to change more. Instead, he’d mentioned her.

She rinsed over and over, not able to get enough of the warm water. In the next room, Nick’s mind roiled.

We could have been better prepared, that could have gone more smoothly. We came so close to being recaptured. So close to almost not making it.

Her stomach soured, and her joy at getting out floated away like the water down the drain.

He hadn’t thought she could do it.

She turned the water off, drying her face. When she was done, she took a calming breath, straightened her Walmart sweatshirt, and joined Nick, who stared out the window, lost in his thoughts.

We passed so many people. The door… Jeremy broke free… So close to not making it.

No reason to put this off. She dove right in. “You didn’t think I could do it.”

It was a statement, not a question.

His head jerked toward her, his gorgeous face full of surprise. “That isn’t it at all. What made you think that?”

“I heard you, in the bathroom. Thinking about how we should have prepared better. How you were afraid we were almost recaptured.” She tapped the side of her head. “I can hear you, remember?”

“Of course I’m sitting here thinking how we could have prepared better. There was so much room for error in what we did.” He ran his hands over his face, rubbed his jaw. “You have to see that.”

“That’s what I mean. You’re blaming me.”

“I’m blaming me!” he exclaimed. He dug his hands into his hair and spun back to the window. His eyes drifted to the ceiling, as if searching for answers or forgiveness in the cruddy drop tiles. “If I’d planned better…We almost didn’t get out.”
I could have lost her. They would have separated us. I almost let that happen.

“You think it was your fault?” she whispered. What was this? That didn’t even make sense. He’d played his part perfectly. It hadn’t been him who’d almost let Jeremy give them away.

He dropped his arms, facing her again, his face so full of anguish it hurt to see it. “Of course it was. I should have prepared us better. I should have seen how you could use your power to help us. Why didn’t I do that?” He continued to rail against himself, blaming himself over and over for what could have happened.

Unable to remain still, she stepped closer. He was so upset that his entire body was tight with it. She’d seen her father tense with anger before. Both she and her mother would steer clear of him or risk sending him into a rage.

Nick? She couldn’t help reaching out to him. He practically screamed for comfort.

She laid her hand on his arm.

“You aren’t the only one here, Nick,” she offered. “I didn’t think to prepare, either. Honestly, I didn’t count my gift at all.”

“Why not?” His voice vibrated with disbelief.

“I can’t control it. This stupid power is barely useful.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.” He shook his head. “You don’t see yourself clearly at all.”

She snorted. “Please. I’ve known myself much longer than you’ve known me. I think I get it.”

“No, you don’t.” His jaw tightened. “Why do you think that Ahmed guy insisted on proof of your power? He said it himself. He’d seen movers and he’d seen people with strength. But it was you that most intrigued him. Why do you think that is?”

She had no idea what he was getting at. “I don’t know.”

“Because your power trumps the other talents.” He laughed without humor. “And you don’t even see that.”

She could only stare at him. He thought her power was the strongest?

“Think about it, Kit. I froze five men. One of them could still paralyze us. He tried to choke us. I had no idea which one it was, and I couldn’t stop him.” He ran his hand over his head. “But you? You knew which one was misbehaving, and you made him let us go. I might be able to make people move, but you can change people’s minds.”

She shook her head. “Only for a while. Jeremy fought back. I couldn’t hold him.”

“Because we didn’t practice. That’s what I’m saying. While we’d been focusing on me, we should have been focusing on you. You were the more important piece, and I didn’t see it.”

He thought she’d been more important than him? “You took out a bunch of cars. Ruined a helicopter.”

“Yes, but you walked us past dozens of people. And nobody noticed.”

She laughed. She couldn’t help it. The way he remembered it wasn’t how she’d seen it at all.

“I was terrified,” she admitted. She’d heard him wonder if she could do it, in the hall outside the conference room. But in truth, she’d wondered if she could do it, too. She’d been so afraid, walking through that compound. To hear him tell it, though, she’d been a hero. It was too much.

His face sobered. “Of course you were afraid. Being afraid is human.”

“I thought you didn’t believe I could do it.”

“Not you, baby. Never you.” He shook his head. “I think you could do anything, take anything and still survive. It’s not you that I doubt.”

He turned from her to face the window again. His head dropped low, and his uncertainties washed over her, filled her.

He didn’t doubt her. He doubted himself.

I almost lost her. Again.

Her throat tightened. How had she ever been so foolish? She’d known when she met Nick that he wanted to protect her, whether she wanted his protection or not. He held himself to a standard that he would never expect from anyone else.