The Edge of Us (Crash and Burn Book 2)

by Jamie McGuire

  Peter shifted in his seat, clasping his fingers together. “It came up briefly.”

  “Briefly? He’s not military. He doesn’t even have the appropriate clearance! How did you get this by the general?”

  “I’m not required to.”

  “That’s bullshit.”

  “How often will he fight fires down there?” I snapped back.

  “Naomi, really. You have no idea what goes on in Deep Echo.”

  “Then tell me.”

  “You know I can’t.”

  My eyes blurred as tears filled and toppled over and down my cheeks. “Just … at least tell me how he is. What he’s doing. You said he’s going through treatment. Is he okay? Is he in a hole somewhere? Just give me that, Peter. You owe me that.”

  Peter sighed then gestured for his bodyguard to leave. Once the door closed, Peter leaned back in a more casual position. “What is Zeke doing … let’s see. In the last report, he’d completed his training with flying colors. He’s not in a hole for Christ’s sake; he stays in the best living quarters in Deep Echo aside from science, medical, and brass quarters. He has his own room, which is more than I can say for the rest of the fire crew and DE security. He’s a hard worker, but he talks about you a lot. He was unhappy after seeing you and asked to be let out. Since finishing the training, he spends his time redesigning the fire suppressant and plan in Deep Echo. They put out a significant mechanical fire in zone Sub6-B. He collapsed shortly after, but,” he said, holding up his finger in response to my expression, “since then, he has gone through several treatments with doctors Patel and Cohen. They’re not easy, but manageable. They start at noon and are finished within the hour. It’s not the torture you’re imagining, Naomi. His heart has already begun to show significant signs of repairing itself, and after the final treatment—which Dr. Patel says should be soon—Zeke’s heart will be programmed to continue to repair itself on its own.

  “Dr. Patel wasn’t certain he’d be able to return to full-time duty as a hotshot, as it’s one of the more physically intense employments, but he will get his life back. If I haven’t convinced you we belong together by his release, well … you have my word. I’ll leave you both alone.”

  I stood. “I’ll play the game, but your word is worth nothing to me.”

  “What if I told you for every hour you spend with me, that is one less hour of Zeke’s contract he must fulfill?”

  I scanned him from head to mid-section, disgusted. “Still not worth it.”

  “Naomi,” he called after me.

  “Have a good afternoon, Senator.”

  Bianca watched me leave, seeming suspicious.

  Once I reached the bottom step, I wiped the tears from my cheeks and smiled.

  The locker room was empty when I returned. I began to radio Trex to find out his location, but the door opened, and Bianca peeked through. I heard a click, then she stepped in.

  “What is that?” I asked, gesturing to the small black rectangle in her hand.

  She held it up. “I use this when the senator or the general are moving through the building or having private conversation they wouldn’t want recorded. Click it once, it moves the nearest two surveillance cameras back ten minutes. Click it twice, it moves it back twenty minutes.”

  “Then what?” I asked, staring at her hand.

  “Then it resets and returns to live mode.” She held it out to me. “Take it.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “Why?”

  “You can’t imagine the horrors I’ve seen in this building. Especially in Deep Echo. If Senator Bennett truly took Zeke away from you to keep you for himself, if Zeke is down there against his will, you should get him out.”

  “That’s a felony, Bianca.”

  She looked down. “And so is giving you that device. I hope it can help.”

  “Do you know what’s happening to Zeke down there?”

  She looked at her watch. “I don’t have much more time. He is getting treatments, and from what I hear they’re working, but it’s excruciating. If you’re getting him out of there, you should do it soon.”

  “Where does he sleep?”

  “He has his own quarters. If you find a way through the blast doors, go straight, pass the cafeteria, and make the next left down the hall toward section Sub1-C. Zeke is the thirteenth door on the left. He’s usually back in his room by nine-thirty.”

  “Why are you helping me?”

  She glanced at her watch again. “I’d like to say it’s because I want to help, but it’s revenge.”

  “For what?”

  “I have to go. The hall surveillance is about to reset.” She peeked out of the door before pausing to look at me over her shoulder.

  “Bianca, why? Otherwise how do I know this isn’t a trap?”

  “He’s been with Paige, he’s a public figure, so I’ve been patient.” She breathed out an indignant laugh. “Now they’re finally divorcing, and it turns out he’s been in love with you this entire time.” Her expression turned severe. “No one uses me.”

  The door closed quietly behind her, and I looked down at the small device in my hand. “Holy shit,” I whispered, putting it away quickly. I squeezed the radio pinned to my shirt. “Trex, come in, over.”

  “Halfway down Echo.”

  “Copy that. On my way, over.” I burst out the door, passed some offices, the control room, and DFAC, then jogged down Echo until I reached Trex.

  “How was the meeting?” he asked around the toothpick in his mouth.

  I shook my head. “Not here.”

  He nodded once, and we proceeded. When we reached the blast door, we noticed the security team was slow on the draw. Soon, it became evident they weren’t there at all. Trex pounded on the door with the side of his fist while I leaned forward, looking through the thick glass at the empty commons area.

  “What the hell?” Trex said, looking up. “Gibbs?” he called.

  My heart began to thump so hard that I was sure Trex could hear it. What if there had been a fire? What if there had been a gas leak? What if one of their experiments had gone horribly wrong? What if they were all dead—including Zeke?

  “I don’t have a good feeling about this,” I said.

  He shook his head, still looking up, adjusting the toothpick in his mouth. “Something’s up. Maybe they’re training?”

  Zeke walked across the hall wearing his navy blue fire uniform. He passed the tables and chairs in the commons with something thick and oblong in his hand covered in foil.

  I began pounding on the glass. “Zeke!”

  Zeke didn’t appear to hear me, instead unwrapping the burrito and placing it inside the microwave. He pressed a few buttons while I continued to bang and scream.

  Trex used the butt of his rifle, but Zeke didn’t seem to be able to hear us.

  “Zeke!” I yelled again. “Why can’t he hear us?”

  “Blast doors and glass are too thick. We’ve always used the security’s speaker system before.” Trex look around then reached out to press a button.

  Zeke turned to look, his eyes wide. He left the burrito unattended, running to the glass, placing his hands against it. He mouthed my name, but I couldn’t hear his voice.

  I shook my head, trying not to cry. “Where is everyone?”

  Emergency training, he mouthed. They’ll be back any minute. He held up three fingers. Three years.

  “I know,” I said.

  He outlined my face. I’m sorry. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the glass. When he finally looked at me again, I spoke.

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  He shook his head, and I nodded mine. He seemed confused.

  I offered a reassuring smile then winked.

  Zeke glanced around then looked at me, his eyebrows shooting up halfway to his hairline. He pointed at me then the ground.

  I nodded.

  When? he mouthed.

  I held my f
inger to my lips.

  Don’t come here, he said.

  I pointed at him, then me, then jerked my head to the side, gesturing that we were getting out of there together.

  How?

  I winked at him again. “Are you okay to hide for a few hours? Small space?”

  His brows pulled together, but he nodded.

  “See you in a few days,” I said.

  I pointed behind Zeke, letting him know to go back because Trex and I were leaving. Zeke kissed two fingers and held them against the glass. I did the same then watched him walk away.

  Trex and I got halfway down Echo to a private corner, and I clicked the button, hoping to Christ Bianca wasn’t lying.

  “What’s that?” Trex asked.

  “Short story, it sets back the surveillance cameras.”

  “Where did you get it?”

  “Bianca.”

  “You trust her?”

  “Never underestimate a woman scorned. We have ten minutes.”

  Trex nodded. “He looks a little weak, but otherwise better. Did you see the base of his neck?”

  “Yeah, looks like fairly extensive bruising. I don’t know what they’re doing, but he’s getting the shit beat out of him down there.” I subtly glanced down at the device in my hands, tipping off Trex. “You might not see me this afternoon. Try not to notice.”

  “Where are you going to be?” he asked. He was following my lead.

  “Don’t ask.”

  “Naomi,” he said, scolding me. Trex is actually a damn good actor.

  “Just don’t ask, okay? Don’t draw attention to it. If you need me, I’ll be at the old silo on the north side of town for two days, then I’m heading north.”

  “Just you?”

  “I said don’t ask.”

  I checked my watch then signaled Trex to keep walking.

  chapter thirty-nine

  desert flower

  Naomi

  I

  left the Complex at three p.m., using the device to mask my exit. No one stopped me, no one asked to look at the mound of blankets in the back seat of my FJ. I drove until I was sure no one was following me, then I parked deep in the Black Forest, monitoring the silo from there.

  Hours passed with no sign of anyone from the Complex, not even a passerby. This was my test for Bianca’s device, and it seemed to have worked. Unless they predicted this test.

  It was a chance I’d have to take.

  Two days later, I left the house as I would any other day, not taking anything with me—even Matt’s box—making sure not to tip off anyone that I didn’t plan to return. I even left behind my beloveds, including Vicky. In the early morning, I faked a spark plug problem with the FJ and rode to work with Trex.

  The day went as usual. My team didn’t seem to know anything was different, and I was both relieved and sad. I couldn’t tell them goodbye. No hugs, no warning. At lunch, I watched them all chew their food and fork chicken noodles and dumplings into their mouths as if they were ravenous. I smiled as I remembered the many lunches we’d had, the dinners, the cookouts—even starving in a desert with them was a fond memory. I loved those boys, and I couldn’t tell them.

  “What?” Sloan asked. “You’re smiling at me.”

  “Nothing. Just day dreaming.”

  “About me?” Sloan joked.

  “Nope,” I said, keeping my thoughts to myself. I could have easily brought up an old memory, but I didn’t want to risk tipping anyone off if I was being watched.

  At the end of the day, I brought the backpack I’d been adding supplies to for thirteen days to the gym. I did my usual workout, showered, changed into clean, dark clothes and sneakers. As I packed my things, I found a torn off piece of paper with words written in Trex’s handwriting.

  You’re a desert flower.

  -Trex

  I held the paper to my chest then shoved it in my pocket, using the device to get me down Charlie corridor undetected. I slipped into an unused storage closet and waited.

  The air was stuffy; I was surrounded by broken mops and brooms, solvents and old cans of paint. I sat on the cold cement floor for a while then leaned back to try to catch a few hours of sleep. The night would feel like years, and I had to be alert and keep my strength up. It was a possibility I’d have to carry Zeke for several miles if he was too weak to make the trek on his own. In a lower corner of the Black Forest was a second car I’d bought off some old man with cash two days after Peter had told me about Zeke. I checked my watch again. Time seemed to slow down, and waiting to slip into the ventilation shaft around the corner made me consider going into Deep Echo with guns blazing more than once. But finally, after nearly going mad, my watch showed it was midnight.

  I stood, stretched, and clicked the button. When I cracked the door open, nothing happened. My shoes didn’t make a sound as I walked heel to toe down the hall and pulled a screwdriver from the lower pocket of my cargo pants, quickly working four screws from the cover. Once inside, I had to reach behind me and pull the vent closed—no small feat. Anyone taller than me wouldn’t have been able to do it.

  For forty-five minutes, I army crawled through the ventilation system, using my hunting knife to mark my way in case Zeke had to make his way back without me. When the air kicked on, it was ten minutes of heaven. In between trying to move quickly, breathing stuffy air, and dripping with sweat, was most certainly a type of Hell. I could only hope Zeke could follow me for at least most of the way, or making it out would mean a bona fide miracle. My planned exit out of the warehouse would mean an even farther journey.

  Just under an hour, the ventilation shaft became twice as wide, signaling I’d passed from the main building to the newer system of Deep Echo. I was finally able to push up onto my hands and knees to crawl. My muscles were screaming, inching along for that long so restricted, but my adrenaline pressed me onward.

  Every ten feet or so I would pass over vents. Some rooms were empty, some contained scenarios I’d have to cover my mouth to keep from crying out. Things I would pretend didn’t exist long after I’d seen them with my own eyes. I kept crawling, tears running down my cheeks, wondering what they’d done to Zeke while I waited for the right time to rescue him.

  Even in the middle of the night, the screams and moans from the vents surrounded me, filtering up through the vents in front of and behind me. Suddenly, the shaft took a 45-degree dive down, and I couldn’t see the bottom.

  This wasn’t in the schematics.

  I tried to use my fingertips and sneakers to slow my fall, but I gained momentum and ended up rolling at the bottom to help muffle some of the noise. When I looked up, the numbered vent I was looking for was right in front of me. My adrenaline spiked again as I pulled out the screwdriver and went to work.

  Once the device made its tell-tale click, I crawled from the vent. The commons area was dark and empty; trying too hard to look homey but smelled like a deep cave inside a mountain.

  Soundless, I crept past the cafeteria, then took a left, half thrilled that I had gotten that far, half expecting for the lights to come on and to get caught at any second.

  The sign said Sub1-C.

  One.

  Two.

  Three.

  Four…

  Thirteenth door on the left.

  I reached out my shaking hand and twisted the knob, pushing. It was unlocked, so I snuck in and closed the door behind me. A few moments passed while I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dark, and then I could hear Zeke whispering just a few feet away.

  “You won’t be able to see. There’s no light for your eyes to pull from. Is that you?”

  I breathed out, feeling my chest and throat tighten. I fished for a small pen in my cargo pocket then clicked the button. “It’s me, babe. We don’t have much time.”

  I shined the tiny pinpoint beam on him, seeing he was still lying in bed. I kneeled next to him. “Can you move?”

  “My las
t treatment was today, so I’m not feeling so good. But they said that last time too. It usually just lasts an hour or two then I feel better.”

  He was pale, dark circles pooling under his eyes, his irises lined with blood. “We don’t have two hours. But I’ll carry you out of this godforsaken place if I have to.”

  He held his hand against my cheek, and I leaned into his palm.

  “I was stupid,” he said, breathless and emotional. “I’ll never leave you again, I swear to God.”

  My bottom lip quivered. “I know. Let’s get you out of here.”

  I helped him put on his work jacket and pants, then socks and shoes. “Hook your arm around my neck. Three, two, one…” I said, standing with him. When we stood, we nearly fell backward.

  “Sorry … sorry … got dizzy,” he whispered.

  I put the pen in my mouth and flashed the light on my watch. “We have four minutes, Zeke,” I whispered around the pen. “We have to go.”

  Zeke nodded, taking a step. We crept from his room, and I supported him while we walked to the commons’ vent. We stood right in front of it just a few feet from escape when our shadows flickered on the wall, surrounded by bright flashlights.

  “Fuck,” I hissed.

  “Don’t. Move,” Gibbs said from behind us.

  I held up my free arm, and Zeke held up his.

  “Turn around,” Gibbs said. He stood in front of five other men, a skeleton crew on call overnight. It wasn’t the army I was expecting. Peter hadn’t counted on a rescue mission after all.

  “Let him go. Get on your stomach on the floor, palms down, face down.”

  “If I let him go, he’ll collapse. Look at him, Gibbs. He’s one of you. What the fuck have they been doing to him?”

  Gibbs looked at Zeke, for a moment his stoic expression failing him. “He’s sick. They’re providing treatment.”

  “Look at his eyes, Gibbs. Look at his chest. Have you seen treatment like that? You know what goes on in this place. It’s a torture chamber. He’s a human being! Let me take him away from here.”

  “Gibbs,” Zeke said. “I’m not going to last much longer down here, man.”