Shadow of the Coalition

by Jamie A. Waters

  Carl’s mouth twitched. He lifted his hands, wrapping them around her wrists, and kissed the tip of her nose. “We’ll figure something out.”

  Kayla let out a breath and relaxed against him. He draped an arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side.

  Alec turned to Brant. “Check the outlying cameras and see who was in the general vicinity when the incident occurred. Were you able to pick up a signature from the energy channeling?”

  Brant shook his head. “They were too far away. As soon as I approached, they stopped and ran. The only thing we have to go on is their ability to channel air energy.”

  Footsteps interrupted the conversation. Carl’s arm fell away, and Kayla looked up, her shoulders stiffening at the sight of the approaching medic. She glanced toward the exit, calculating her chances of successfully escaping before they started poking at her.

  As though sensing her intention, Carl moved to block her exit. She scowled at him, but he merely shook his head. In a low voice, he whispered, “Behave.”

  The medic, accustomed to dealing with difficult patients, appeared unfazed by her reluctance. He pulled an imaging wand out of his bag, ran it over her abdomen, and studied the display.

  “The surface mending is torn. The deeper reconstruction still appears to be intact though.” He glanced up at her, disapproval etched in the lines of his stern expression. “You’re fortunate this wasn’t more serious. The original wound was deep, and even though it’s patched on the surface, it needs more time to heal internally. We should admit you to the medical ward for observation.”

  Kayla’s eyes widened as she took a step backward. No way. Not going to happen.

  Alec put his hand behind her back, halting her retreat. “That’s not feasible. What are the other alternatives?”

  The medic pursed his lips but didn’t argue. He studied her side again, prodding the injury. “I suppose we can reseal the wound and give her another metabolic booster to speed up the healing. It’s sooner than I’d recommend, so there may be a few side effects.”

  “Sure. Sounds great. Let’s go with that option,” she readily agreed, eager to get this done. After spending days being poked and prodded by the doctors in the medical ward, she’d had enough of Omni medicine to last a lifetime.

  Carl frowned in concern and took a step closer. “Wait. What side effects?”

  “A racing heartbeat and insomnia are most common. Nothing too serious, but the side effects may last a few days. I’ll give her a lower dosage, but if the side effects are troublesome, we can give her something to help her sleep.”

  At Alec’s nod, the medic cleaned the wound. When he brought out a compact device and pressed it against her side, Kayla flinched at the sensation of her skin being pulled together. It didn’t hurt, but it was far from pleasant. The smell was worse. Her stomach lurched at the acrid odor of the resealing device fusing her skin back together. When he finished, he gave her the injection and dropped his tools back into the kit.

  She touched her fingers against the barely noticeable line marking her injury. It would fade within weeks, leaving no trace at all. OmniLab had some amazing tech. She wondered if she could get a couple devices shipped to her former ruin rat camp. It might come in handy next time someone got hurt.

  Before she could inquire about the possibility, the medic asked, “Do you need anything for the pain?”

  Kayla grimaced and shook her head. If both Carl and Alec were giving her the stink-eye, she needed to keep her wits about her.

  “All right. Try to avoid doing anything that will further aggravate the injury. If it gets any worse or you open it again, we won’t have a choice about admitting you to the medical ward.”

  Carl gave her a pointed look. “She’ll be careful.”

  Kayla grumbled under her breath but nodded. The medic didn’t hide his skepticism, but he remained silent. Instead, with a brief bow to her and Alec, he picked up his bag and left the room. Once he left, Carl took her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers, pressing a kiss against the back of her palm. Touched by the intimate gesture, she gave him a small smile. Carl was still being cautious about displays of affection when anyone else was around. Except for a select few, most of the tower occupants still believed she was engaged to marry Alec. Until the political situation in the towers stabilized, Kayla had agreed to continue with the ruse.

  Brant cleared his throat. “If Kayla would like to return to her family’s quarters to rest, I’ll have the rest of my men finish canvassing the area.”

  Kayla turned to the security officer with a frown. She wasn’t a fragile artifact that needed to be coddled.

  As though sensing her impending objections, Alec interrupted. “Actually, I was planning on having two of our designers meet with you to discuss your idea about building a home for the surface dwellers. If you’d like to return with me to my office, I can ask them to meet us there. We’ll have someone run over to your quarters to pick up a change of clothes.”

  Kayla glanced down at her bloodstained shirt. She’d probably throw some delicate Omni sensibilities into a tailspin if she walked around like this. Besides, Alec’s suggestion had merit. Ever since her mother had planted the idea about building another tower for the ruin rats, Kayla had been considering the possibilities.

  Life on the surface was harsh and a sharp contrast to the posh lifestyle in the towers. Some of her former ruin rat campmates would reject OmniLab’s offer of a permanent residence simply upon principle. There wasn’t much she could do about their preconceived prejudices, but there were others who would jump at the opportunity for safety and security. Leo and his camp had not only saved her life as a child and given her a home, but they’d given her the tools she needed to survive. It was now her turn to repay the debt and offer them the same. Whether they accepted it was up to them.

  “Okay. I’ll go with you, but I want to look at the outlying video footage first. I want to find the asshole who tried to knock me off the beam.”

  Alec hesitated and then glanced up at the beam. He was either trying to figure out how she got up there, or how to prevent it from happening again. “That might be wise. You may have witnessed something from your unique perspective. Maybe you’ll recognize someone from the feeds.”

  Kayla thought back to the tingle she’d felt. She might have glimpsed someone in her peripheral vision, but she couldn’t be sure. Everything happened too fast. Her only focus was on not becoming an ugly smear on the ground.

  Brant pulled off his jacket and handed it to her, nodding toward her injured side. She looked up at him, surprised by the gesture. The security officer was standoffish, but he’d warmed up slightly ever since Lars and the Coalition had abducted her. Kayla suspected he didn’t care much for Inner Circle members, but she didn’t know the reasons.

  “You’re not still pissed off that I dodged your minions?”

  Brant shook his head and curved his lips in the slightest hint of a smile. “No. If anything, they’ll learn to be more cognizant of their assignment.” His expression became more serious as he added, “I understand not wanting to have someone watch your every move. But Kayla, please remember I’m only here for your safety. As evidenced by what happened a few minutes ago, there may be people within the towers who wish you harm. I hope you’ll give me the opportunity to prevent that from happening.”

  She hesitated and then pulled on the jacket, accepting the peace offering. It was still warm and smelled nice. Huh. She brushed her nose against the collar, trying to figure out the scent. It reminded her a little of Alec but with more earthy undertones. It was probably an Omni thing.

  “I’m not sure that’s necessary. Now that I’m out of medical, we need to get started on mapping the underground river. We can be back on the surface by tomorrow,” she replied.

  Carl and Alec exchanged another look. Kayla narrowed her eyes and tried to put her hands on her hips. The sleeves of the jacket were too big and got in the way. She huffed and then wiggled her hands in the a
ir to push up the sleeves. So much for her badass image. She felt like an overdressed doll.

  “Okay. What’s up with that? Why do you keep looking at each other like there’s some big secret?”

  Carl’s lips twitched in a smile at her antics. He took her hand and folded up the sleeve of the jacket. “I know you’re eager to start on the river analysis, but it’s not safe for you to return to the surface right now. We don’t know what Lars and the Coalition are planning, but we’re trying not to take any chances with your safety.” He frowned at Alec before focusing again on her. “Although, I’m not sure how safe you are in the towers after what just happened. I know you don’t like the security detail, but we’re hoping you’ll at least try it until things settle down. If you can tolerate it a bit longer, we should have a better handle on things soon. It’ll also give you a chance to finish healing.”

  “Lars wasn’t trying to kill me,” she pointed out, watching as Carl switched to the other sleeve. “He was just trying to escape. I mean, he apologized before stabbing me. Sure, it hurt like a bitch and I owe him some serious payback, but he made sure not to hit anything too vital. It affected me worse because I’d already been knocked around so much. Besides, if Lars or Sergei contacts me again, I can try to talk to them. I think they’ll listen. Although, Lars is due for a swift kick in the balls first.”

  Carl dropped her sleeve, grabbed her shoulders, and shook his head. “No, Kayla, you need to stay away from them and not get involved. Let Alec handle it.” She opened her mouth to object, but he pressed a finger against her lips. “How would you feel if someone meddled in your personal business?”

  Kayla’s mouth clamped shut and her eyes narrowed. Her gaze darted to Alec, who was watching them with a puzzled expression.

  As much as she might want to shove Lars’s stunner up his ass and pull the trigger, Alec should have the first shot. Lars was Alec’s cousin, and she had no business interfering in his family business. Besides, their conflict predated to her even finding out about her family origins. It had only been a month since she’d learned she was born in the towers. She hung her head and nodded. “Dammit, you’re right. Okay. I’ll stay out of it for now.”

  Carl’s shoulders relaxed, and he pulled her back into his embrace. “Do you want to meet with the designers now? I have a meeting with Director Borshin, but I can meet you there when I’m finished.”

  Kayla glanced at Alec and then up at Carl. It looked like they were going to insist on babysitting her a while longer. She sighed but nodded in agreement. If they wanted to keep her out of the situation with Lars, fine. But someone here in the towers was targeting her. That made it her business, and neither one of them could stop her from finding the person responsible.

  I hope you enjoyed this sample! Tremors of the Past, #3 The Omni Towers Series, is available now!

  About the Author

  Jamie A. Waters is an award-winning science fiction and paranormal romance author. Her first novel, Beneath the Fallen City (previously titled as The Two Towers), was a winner of the Readers’ Favorite Award in Science-Fiction Romance and the CIPA EVVY Award in Science-Fiction.

  Jamie currently resides in Florida with her two neurotic dogs who enjoy stealing socks and chasing lizards. When she’s not pursuing her passion of writing, she’s usually trying to learn new and interesting random things (like how to pick locks or use the self-cleaning feature of the oven without setting off the fire alarm). In her downtime, she enjoys reading, playing computer games, painting, or acting as a referee between the dragons and fairies currently at war inside her closet.

  You can learn more by visiting: www.jamieawaters.com