Kayla frowned and glanced at Sergei. He was leaning against the wall watching them. He’d apparently been instructed to hang out and play guard. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I’ve been getting that a lot today. Trenon is your father?”
“Yes. I was a teenager when we were forced to leave the towers. But I suppose you’ve already heard the story.”
“He didn’t mention he had a daughter,” Kayla admitted as she assessed the room. It was another windowless room with two doors. Sergei guarded the entrance, and the other door was an unknown. The presence of a computer was promising though. “I thought Trenon and Lars might be related.”
Miranda shook her head and opened a bag that was lying on one of the beds. “No, we’re not. But over the years, we’ve become a family of sorts. It was the only way to survive. I’m sure, given your own situation, you can understand that.” She glanced at Kayla before pulling out a shirt and handing it to her.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think my pants will fit you. If you’d like to shower and get cleaned up, there’s a bathroom through that door.” Miranda gestured to a closed door. Kayla took the shirt and glanced at the door. That solved one mystery.
“Are you hungry? I can arrange to have something brought to you.”
She frowned. Was all of this an attempt to lower her defenses? She’d been through this before with traders offering various things in exchange to get what they wanted. “Will something be taken to Carl?”
“I’m assuming you’re referring to the trader?” At Kayla’s nod, Miranda smiled. “I’ll make the arrangements, if it hasn’t already been done.”
“Thanks.” Kayla headed to the bathroom. Shutting the door, she looked around the room. It was basic in design and reminded her of the camp’s bathroom. There was nothing much in here she could use to escape. At least she could try to wash off the memory of Ramiro though. With a sigh, Kayla pulled off her clothes and stepped into the shower. The water pressure was slightly better than expected, and she quickly scrubbed her skin.
When she finished, she pulled on the black shirt Miranda have given her. The material was soft and lightweight, but it was different from anything she’d seen created by OmniLab. It was more form-fitting and lower cut. She frowned at the realization Alec’s necklace was noticeable under the material.
There wasn’t much she could do about it. With the metal piece hidden in the waistband of her pants, the only other place to hide the necklace was her pockets. Those were usually the first places searched.
Sergei straightened from his post at the door when she walked back into the room. Miranda gestured to a plate over on the desk. “The food was just delivered. Help yourself.”
Kayla sat down and glanced at the computer terminal, itching to get her fingers on the controls. She forced herself to take a bite of the prepackaged meal instead, chewing automatically and barely tasting the food.
Miranda sat on the edge of one of the beds and folded her hands in her lap. “They’re taking a meal to the trader now. If you’d like, you can stay here with me tonight. It’ll give us a chance to get to know one another better.”
Kayla raised an eyebrow. Did they really think she’d suddenly become best friends with them simply because they offered her a shower and some food? She might be susceptible to bribes, but she wasn’t that cheap. She swallowed another bite and waved her fork. “I’d rather stay with Carl.”
Miranda cocked her head and seemed genuinely surprised by her response. The woman glanced at Sergei and then said noncommittally, “I’ll see if Lars will agree to that.”
Of course he wouldn’t, but they weren’t ready to show that hand yet. They were still playing nice. Kayla shrugged. Whatever. Time for some information gathering. “How did you guys end up hooking up with the Coalition?”
The woman’s face darkened. “OmniLab imprisoned us on the surface for several years. Thanks to Lars and his talents, we managed to escape, and the Coalition discovered us. They listened to our story and agreed to help us in exchange for our loyalty.”
Kayla poked at the food on the plate. “How many of you are there?”
“Not as many as when we left the towers,” Miranda said with a sigh. “We lost several people while we were imprisoned. If OmniLab had provided us with basic medical care, we would have been able to save them. As it was, they barely gave us enough food and water to survive.”
It sounded like the situation in the ruin rat camps. She imagined it would be difficult for someone used to the opulent luxury in the towers to adjust to the harsh life outside. In some ways, Kayla decided she probably had an easier time of it. Unlike Miranda, she couldn’t remember ever living in the towers.
Miranda looked down at her hands. “I lost my mother before we were forced out of the towers. She was one of the people in the ruins with you and your father when it collapsed. It was difficult when she died, but it was easier for me to understand. Accidents happen. What Lars and the others went through was so much worse. Lars not only lost his mother in the ruins, but after we were imprisoned, he watched his father and sister die from an illness that could have been easily treated.”
Kayla’s fork froze in midair. Dammit. She didn’t want to feel sympathy for these people. It was bad enough they’d all suffered huge losses. It would make things even worse if they knew the ruin collapse hadn’t been an accident and that Alec’s father had orchestrated the entire mass murder. Would they blame Alec for his father’s decisions?
She pushed away her plate, unable to stomach eating anything else. “I get that you’re pissed off about what happened. I don’t blame you. But none of this has anything to do with me. If you have a problem with OmniLab, you should take it up with them.”
Miranda leaned forward. “You’re one of us, Kayla. We channel the same energy you do. If you trace our lineage, you’d find we share ties of blood too. We don’t want you to be hurt by any of this. We just want your help to bring justice to those who deserve it.”
“You have a twisted way of asking for help,” Kayla muttered.
“I know. We didn’t expect you to be on the surface, or things probably would have happened differently.”
“Why don’t you let us go then? I can ask Alec to help you.”
Miranda shook her head. “I’m sorry, but it’s not that simple. Alec may have not been responsible for what happened, but he’s a Tal’Vayr. Lars wants… never mind. I’ve said too much already. But it’s not just Alec. We all want the High Council to be held responsible for their actions.”
Alarm bells started to go off in her head. “What does Lars want with Alec?”
Miranda hesitated before she spoke. “Is it true you’re bonded to him?”
Kayla frowned, unsure how much she should reveal. She sort of liked the woman, but that was probably their plan. It wasn’t a coincidence that they put her in here with Miranda. Out of all of them, Miranda had a warm and appealing nature that was difficult to resist. Lars already knew about the bond, so there wasn’t much harm in admitting it.
“Yeah, we’re bonded. It was accidental though. I got in a little over my head and Alec bonded with me to save me.”
Miranda’s eyes widened, and she leaned forward. “Do you care for him?”
Whoa. Kayla gave Miranda a sharp look. “That’s none of your business.”
“You’re right,” she said, backpedalling quickly and holding up her hands. “I apologize. I’m just surprised. I’ve only heard of bonds between two dedicated partners.”
Kayla shrugged. “Yeah, well. Accidents happen.”
“I see,” Miranda murmured and cocked her head. “Lars said you can channel spirit energy. I’ve never heard of anyone being able to do that before.”
Kayla frowned and didn’t answer. Word had gotten around quickly. Lars must have sent Miranda a message the moment Sergei brought her here. Kayla glanced over at Sergei who, at first glance, appeared engrossed in his commlink. When she didn’t respond to Miranda, he looked up and met her gaze. Yep
. He was hanging on every word.
Miranda scooted forward. “If there were a way to remove the bond you share with Alec, would you be interested?”
Kayla’s eyes flew back to the woman sitting on the bed. “How? I was told it was permanent.”
Miranda gave her a sad smile. “I’ve learned nothing in this life is permanent. Things can change, even so-called permanent bonds. If there were a way to sever your bond, would you want to remove it?”
Kayla hesitated. She had the feeling there was more to this question than the woman was leading her to believe. “I don’t know. I thought it was permanent, so I’ve never considered an alternative. There’s no point in speculating about what-ifs.”
“I see.” Miranda picked at the threads on the blanket. She seemed to be deciding whether or not to say something. A knock at the door interrupted them. Lars entered and spoke with Sergei for a moment. Sergei nodded and then disappeared down the hall.
Miranda stood and gave Lars a warm smile. “I was about to call you. Kayla has asked to be returned to the trader rather than staying here.”
Lars raised an eyebrow. “What is the trader to you?”
Kayla put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “That’s none of your business.”
His eyes raked over her as though trying to ferret out her secrets. Suddenly, he stopping studying her and crossed the room toward her. Kayla bit back a groan, knowing he’d spotted the necklace. He lifted it and ran his thumb over the green stone. His eyes flew up to meet hers. “Did Alec give this to you?”
She pressed her lips together and didn’t answer.
Miranda stepped forward and interrupted before he could say anything else. “Lars, could I speak with you for a moment?”
He continued to stare at Kayla for a long moment before releasing the necklace and moving away. He inclined his head, and Miranda motioned for him to join her outside. As soon as the door closed behind them, Kayla dove for Miranda’s bag. She rifled through it and found some sort of small multipurpose tool. Kayla grinned and slipped it into her pocket before readjusting the bag so it didn’t appear to have been touched.
She could still hear the low din of voices outside, so she moved over to the computer terminal and turned it on. The system was different than what she was used to working with, but there were some similarities. She entered in a few keystrokes and scowled as the computer rejected her commands. She continued to make several more attempts and then watched in satisfaction as the data retrieved from Carl’s camp was erased. With a satisfied grin, she pulled up a diagram of the camp and began memorizing the layout.
If her calculations were correct, Carl was being held on the opposite side of the camp. As long as the earthquake damaged no other areas, she could get to him pretty easily. The biggest problem was she didn’t know how many people were living within the camp.
Unfortunately, most of the other information on the system was indecipherable. Strange characters displayed on the screen that she could only assume were in some other unfamiliar language. Frustrated, she shut off the monitor and began drumming her fingers impatiently on the desk.
Miranda and Lars reappeared several minutes later. Miranda seemed pleased by something, as evidenced by her cheerful smile, while Lars rubbed the back of his neck. Kayla couldn’t help but wonder what Miranda had said to him. He seemed frustrated. Kayla wasn’t sure if that boded well for her or not.
Her skin suddenly prickled, and she rubbed her arms. Something wasn’t right. Her eyes narrowed at Lars. “What the hell did you just do?”
Lars raised an eyebrow. A slight smile played across his lips, making him appear almost approachable. Almost.
“You’re extremely sensitive to energy manipulation, aren’t you?”
“Lars,” Miranda warned and shook her head.
He sighed and gave a small shrug. “I simply channeled energy around you to see if you would notice. Most people wouldn’t have even realized it.”
Kayla scowled. “I’m not a damn test subject.”
“This isn’t the way,” Miranda said softly.
Lars blew out a breath and held out his hand. “Very well. Come along, Kayla. I’ll have Sergei take you back to the trader.”
She eyed his hand with suspicion. Nope. Not gonna happen. She shoved her hands in her back pockets and nodded toward the door. “Sounds good. Let’s go.”
He darted a glance at Miranda, but she shook her head at him. He grumbled under his breath and lowered his hand before opening the door. Lars took her to the room across the hall which seemed to be used as some sort of tech or communications room. Sergei was leaning over a man working on a console and they both looked up when they entered. He gave Kayla a slow smile and murmured something in his language.
Lars gave Kayla a long, lingering look. “Yes, she does.” He then cleared his throat and focused again on Sergei. “Kayla has asked to be returned to her cell for the evening instead of remaining here.”
Sergei straightened and nodded. “I will take her.” He held out his hand to her. “Come, Milaya,” he instructed, and she slipped her hand in his. Lars frowned, but Kayla shrugged. Sergei wasn’t going to zap her.
She followed Sergei back through the maze of the camp and tried to recall the image of the floorplan on the computer. Kayla was fairly confident she could find her way around once they were on their own. Trying to avoid the numerous people in the camp would be the biggest challenge. To make matters worse, judging by the interested glances and number of men she counted, she and Miranda were likely two of the few women in camp. Blending in would be difficult.
She suspected the Coalition had a secondary location. Miranda seemed to just be visiting, and Trenon had recently arrived from somewhere else. They could be right under OmniLab’s nose if they had the same type of masking ability in their other camp.
Sergei opened the door and gestured for her to enter. Carl was sitting on the cot but stood when she entered. He’d changed into different clothing and his hair was still slightly damp. She hurried over to him, and Carl pulled her into his arms.
Sergei chuckled. “Ah. So that is why she insisted on returning.”
She felt Carl tense, but he didn’t reply. They could think whatever they wanted. Kayla didn’t want to admit it, but she’d been scared out of her mind since they attacked Carl’s camp. She needed this. She needed Carl and his reassurance. The sound of the door closing and the lock engaging sounded from behind her.
“Are you all right, sweetheart?” Carl tilted her head back to look at him.
There was a small cut above his eye she hadn’t noticed before. She frowned and looked over the rest of him. His knuckles were bruised and raw from the earlier fighting.
Reassured that his injuries were minor, she nodded and told him everything that had happened.
After she finished, he was quiet for a long moment and then said, “I think it’s safe to assume they’re not going to be ransoming us back to the towers for supplies.”
“Yeah, I’ve gotten that impression,” she muttered and reached into her pocket to pull out the stolen tool.
He chuckled. “I’ve never been more thankful for your ruin rat ways.”
She grinned at him. “I’ll remind you of that next time you start bitching at me for being reckless.”
Carl bent down and took possession of her mouth. Kayla kissed him with all the desperation she’d been feeling since they arrived. He took control of the kiss, promising with actions rather than words that he would appreciate her even more once they were safe and alone.
He pressed one last kiss against her lips before pulling away. “Are you sure you want do this? We can wait a bit longer to see if Alec shows up.”
Kayla shook her head. “He would have been here by now if he knew our location. I don’t know what these guys are planning, but I don’t think we should wait to find out. I don’t know enough about the energy stuff to protect myself against Lars. He’s powerful. I think he’s probably as powerful as Alec, b
ut I really don’t want to find out for sure.”
Carl took the tool from her and studied it. “How do you want to do this?”
She removed the metal clamp from her waistband. “We need to get to the entrance to get the rest of our UV gear. Unfortunately, there are a lot more people in the camp than I expected, and they all seem to be armed.”
Carl frowned. “They took me to a shower area down the hall, so I got a brief look around. There’s only one guard stationed at our door. As long as we’re able to surprise him, I should be able to disarm him and get his weapon. Think you’ll have any problems working the lock on the door?”
She smirked. “Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?”
He chuckled. She took the tool from him and bent down in front of the door. If she had her frequency detector, she could probably bypass all the wiring. Unfortunately, she’d have to make do with what she had. Kayla handed the metal clamp to Carl and instructed him to use it as a lever to remove the cover panel. Once the cover was removed, she used the multipurpose tool to strip and re-splice the wiring.
After several minutes, she looked up at Carl and nodded. “It should work. You ready?”
Carl shook his head and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Not yet. As soon as I go after the guard, I want you to head directly to the entrance. Don’t wait for me. I’ll catch up. You need to get to the towers. That’s the only place you’re going to be safe from these guys.”
Kayla straightened her shoulders and put her hands on her hips. “Forget it. We’re staying together. I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Dammit, Kayla, you’re the one they want. They aren’t interested in me.”
Kayla shook her head and took a step toward him. Panic welled inside her as she curled her fingers in his shirt. “Please, Carl, don’t ask me to leave you behind while you try to rescue me. I can’t—I can’t ever do that again. I lost Pretz because I listened to him when he told me to run. Don’t ask me to do that. I can’t lose you. It’ll destroy me.”
Carl’s eyes softened, and he pulled her against him. His breath was warm against her ear as he said, “God, Kayla, I didn’t even think. I’m sorry. I just want you to be safe.” He brushed a kiss against her neck. “We’ll do this together. Okay?”
Shadow of the Coalition Page 31
