Uncharted

by Adriana Anders

  “You okay, Elias?”

  He screwed his eyes shut, tried to clear his mind. Not easy, given all the hormones flooding through him. He could almost laugh. “Yeah. Fine. You?”

  “Me?”

  “I seem to recall that you injured your head a couple days ago. Is it all right?”

  “Um, no.” Her laugh had a slight edge to it. Was it bitterness? Hysteria? He didn’t know her well enough to recognize it. “I’m pretty sure the crash jarred a screw loose or something.”

  She slid back into her spot—closer than before, but still against him. He liked that. Maybe she didn’t regret what they’d just done as much as she thought she did. He didn’t regret it at all.

  “If you’ve got one loose, I’ve got a whole damn box of ’em. But you know what? I don’t care.” At her happy-sounding sigh, he leaned down and kissed her cheek, full of a tenderness he’d never thought he’d feel again. “This,” he said against skin that he could have sworn conducted electricity, “is what I’ve been missing.”

  ***

  Getting caught was bad. Amka had expected to have more time. She needed more time. To save her family, her friends. Her wife.

  Though her first instinct was to fight, she went completely still, her pulse flickering at the edges of her vision. Shit, she’d never been so scared in her life.

  The man—whoever he was—didn’t move either. He just stood there in the dark aircraft, holding her so tight she thought he’d cut off her air.

  After a good twenty seconds, when he hadn’t knocked her out or killed her or even put a gun to her head, she decided that maybe things weren’t as bad as they seemed.

  “Don’t smash my ride,” he whispered right in her face.

  She swallowed and caught her breath. His ride. Okay. She could do that. She could keep her hands off the helicopter. He hadn’t sounded the alarm. This was good.

  “Okay.” She worked to get more words out. “Don’t kill my people.”

  “Deal.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “If I let you go,” he whispered, so close you’d have to be in the helicopter to hear, “you gonna scream?”

  She craned her head, trying to get a better view of whoever this was.

  “Why the hell would I do something stupid like that?” Her whisper was markedly louder than his. “Last thing I need is the rest of those assholes figuring out where I am.”

  He let out a puff of air. Maybe a laugh, maybe just a show of surprise. There could also be relief in the way he shook his head. “I don’t like what they’re doing up there.”

  “So stop ’em.”

  “They catch me trying to sabotage this mission, I’m a dead man.”

  “Think you’re not a dead man anyway?” He slowly released his hold and stepped back, head cocked, and even in the strange glow from the flashlight she’d dropped, she could read the resignation in the young man’s expression. “You think anyone’s survived this thing since it started over a decade ago? Anyone?”

  One survivor. One.

  “Shit.” He gave her more space, rubbed a hand over short blond hair, and had the good grace to look uncomfortable.

  “How many are dead up there?” she asked, figuring it couldn’t hurt to get him talking.

  “You mean yours? Or ours?”

  She blinked. “Some of yours died?”

  “Three are missing here. Know anything about that?”

  She made her face as blank as possible. “Huh.”

  “No?” He appeared to consider her and let it go. “Aside from those three, we got a few who didn’t come back.”

  “What do you mean?”

  The surfer boy leaned in. “Lost five in the field.”

  “Five?” Oh, that was good news. Were Leo and Elias making their lives hell? Had they taken down some bad guys? Had they gotten away? She tried her best to keep the glee inside.

  “Flew eight out the other day. Only one came back.”

  Her heartbeat picked up. “One?” Elias was doing it. He was getting away, and in the process, screwing these assholes.

  “Two stayed behind. Deegan, our team leader, and the tracker. Scary fucker.” He leaned down to look out the open door, jumpy as a jackrabbit. “I have no desire to die here. And I’m not into what they’re doing up at the lodge.”

  “What?” Her body tightened, her old bones ready to pounce if she had to. “What are they doing?”

  “Shot three people.”

  Three! “Who? Who’d they shoot?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Daisy? The owner? Tall woman, long face?”

  “I don’t…” He closed his mouth and eyed her for a few seconds. “I don’t think so.”

  “Are they dead? The ones they shot?”

  “One dead.” He wouldn’t look at her, and in that moment, she wanted to kill him. “The rest are being held like cattle. Tensions are real high. People are dirty, pissed off, ready to blow.” He shook his head. “Something’s gotta give.”

  She considered him. Tall, blond, all-American. Maybe even the kind of guy who’d come here on vacation, head out into the woods to shoot something. Not for the meat or the fur, but just to kill. “You hunt?”

  He gave her a what the hell are you talking about, lady look. “No.”

  “Ever kill an animal for sport?”

  Something ticked in his jaw. “No.”

  “Ever kill a human?”

  “I’m a pilot. I don’t kill. I fly.”

  Right. The pilot. Of course. He rose in her estimation. “How’d you wind up on this gig?”

  “Long story.” He shook his head. “Stupidity mostly.”

  “All right. What’s your name?”

  “Jack.”

  “I need you to do three things for me, Jack.”

  “That it?” he asked, one brow up.

  “Are you with me or not, young man?”

  “I’m with you.”

  “First, disable the aircraft.”

  He walked over and fiddled with something on the console. “Done.”

  “Can you make a call? To the outside?”

  His nod flooded her with relief. Finally, they were getting somewhere. “Good. Now, you need to get weapons to the people being held in the lodge.”

  “You nuts?”

  “Maybe. But I don’t see how that’s relevant right now.” She pulled out every blade she carried. “Find a way to get them these. Or you die.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “No, dumbass. I’m telling you what happens when you work for the bad guys.”

  Though he didn’t appear convinced, he looked guilty. That was enough for Amka. He held out his hand. “I’ll try.”

  “What if I distract ’em?”

  He considered, a hint of excitement lighting his features. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’ve got a lot up my sleeve.” She smiled.

  “Such as?”

  “Dogs, stunts, maybe an explosion or two. What do you think?”

  He squinted at her, head tilted back, as if looking at her in an entirely new light. “I think it’s a good thing I’m on your side and not theirs.”

  “Damn right, son.” She snorted. “Damn right.”

  Chapter 26

  Throat tight with emotion, Elias gathered Leo closer and stared out into the beautiful night.

  She didn’t speak for so long, he wondered if she’d fallen asleep. When her voice broke the silence, it was like a caress in the dark.

  “We’re gonna fix this, Elias. We’ll clean it up.”

  He huffed. “Know how to do that?”

  “Yes. I told you. I’ve got people.” He felt her smile against his chest. “My boys. Coop, Ans, Von. We’ve got others now, too. Couple of scientists, a doc. A
chef.”

  “Strange combination.”

  “Is it?” She snuggled deeper. “It’s a great combination. Angel, Ford Cooper’s girlfriend, cooks the most unbelievable meals for us on the platform. Like—”

  “Platform?”

  “We’re based offshore.”

  “Are you making this up?”

  Her laughter bumped her chest against his side. He wanted her to slide back on top. She wouldn’t do it. And she’d be right not to. They needed to save their energy for things like, oh, survival. But wouldn’t it be nice to forget about survival for a while, to lose himself in Leo?

  “It’s real. Polaris platform. It’s where our operations are based.”

  “Your operations?”

  “We’re a security firm.”

  “Someone hired you to come here?”

  She shook her head, each movement nudging that spot right over his heart. “No. This is more of a…personal mission.”

  “For who?”

  “All of us.” She lifted her head. “A bunch of us almost died because of Chronos and the Frondvirus. We’re not so into that. Decided to make it stop.”

  He let out a cynical snort. “Good luck.”

  “Got to you first, didn’t we?” There was definite pride when she spoke. “And…” She paused. “We’ve got some advantages.”

  “Yeah? Like having the actual virus in your possession?”

  “Exactly.”

  “How’d that happen?”

  “Long story.”

  “They know you have it?”

  Her self-satisfied “nope” allowed him to breathe again.

  He stared up at the stars for a few seconds, trying to piece it all together. “Why are you here if you already have it?”

  “Just because we have a sample doesn’t mean there’s not more out there. We want to stop them from getting their hands on it. To stop the killing.”

  “It’ll never stop.” Hollowed out by death, despair, and hopelessness, the words were a sibilant proclamation. No vowels made it through his tight vocal chords.

  “I don’t belong to that school of thought, Elias.”

  He grunted a question.

  “Never, can’t, won’t. I don’t believe in those words.” She yawned. Her breath reached him—warm and sweet. He could get addicted to that particular combination. “Even metal melts if you get it hot enough.”

  He huffed out a laugh. His next inhale expanded his ribs and pressed her closer and maybe drew a little hope into his body. She smelled like hope. Like another chance at life. Like the sweet thrill of possibility.

  Resisting fatigue, he opened his eyes wide and shut them for a few seconds before focusing on the sky again. “You should sleep.”

  Her response was a sigh. At their feet, Bo echoed it.

  Time eked slowly by—he couldn’t say for how long—when she spoke again, surprising him. “Wish we’d been there for you. When it happened.”

  “It was a long time ago, Leo.”

  “Bet it doesn’t feel like it.”

  “Does.” He considered. “And it doesn’t.”

  “Tell me.”

  He opened his mouth to tell her it was late and she should sleep, and then he closed it. She didn’t like being told what to do. He couldn’t blame her.

  “It’s like I’ve been alone forever, like that old life—the one I lost. Job. House. Family. Woman who was supposed to…” Love me. He couldn’t even utter the words. She made a little move but didn’t speak, and he kept going. “It’s like I only dreamed it. Not even a memory anymore. More vague. Like I saw it on TV.” His brain gave him a kaleidoscope of moments from back then—opening mail, paying bills, getting drinks with friends after work. Watching football—caring about football. Like it mattered who won the damn Super Bowl.

  “So, that’s one side. What about the other?”

  He scrunched up his face, not really adept at explaining stuff like that. “You ever lose someone special?”

  She didn’t immediately reply, making him wonder if this would be a one-sided thing. Did Leo take but not give? Would he care if that was her way?

  “My mom.” She swallowed audibly. “Killed herself when I was little.”

  All the air left him, like a ball to the gut. There it was. That feeling. He wanted to hug her, to tell her he was sorry. But he knew how little good that would do. If he could, though, he’d take the weight of it from her. That he would do.

  After a bit, he found his voice. “You too young to remember waking up the next morning after it happened?”

  “No.” Her voice was devoid of emotion. “I remember.”

  He nodded with understanding. From his outermost layer of skin to his deepest entrails, he knew that feeling. “Every morning’s like that for me. Every day, I wake up and…”

  After a couple of heartbeats, her hand moved low and found his. Her fingers slid through his and tightened into a fist.

  She fell asleep like that, feeding him something he hadn’t had in forever.

  Eventually, both she and Bo started snoring, the soft, steady sounds stirring up a messed-up mix inside him of equal parts warmth and the unbearable weight of responsibility.

  ***

  Head throbbing, Leo woke in the dark, struggled to get out from under the blankets, and took a quick look around before settling back into her nest—a nest she shared with Elias—and staring up at the sky. It was brighter than before, the inky black from earlier more of a blue, the stars twinkling less, fading. She couldn’t see her breath in the dark, but she could feel the cold down to her marrow.

  Elias sat quietly beside her.

  “How long have you been keeping watch?” she finally asked.

  His exhausted shrug gave him away.

  “You planning to get any sleep tonight, Elias?”

  “Wanted you to rest.”

  “A lot of good that’ll do me if I have to drag your giant carcass back to Schink’s Station.” She sat up and yanked his arm until he slid into her warm spot with a sigh. “I’ve been thinking.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  She slapped him lightly on the arm and let her hand rest there for a couple of seconds before putting it on the ground and pushing up to sitting. “What will you do? When this is over?”

  “Over? What’s that look like?”

  Good question. “What if I told you there’s a place for you? With my team? A place where you’d be safe. People you can work with, for a cause. We can set you up with a new life, a new identity. You’d be—”

  “On the run. Still.”

  She opened her mouth to object and then shut it. “You don’t have to be alone, Elias.”

  He nodded, silent. Her hand went back to his arm and stayed there. “It’s my watch. Sleep.”

  After a while, his breathing evened out and Leo was left alone to think about what lay ahead. Not just the journey they’d have to complete—unless her team somehow tracked them down out here—but what they’d find once they arrived in Schink’s Station.

  Would it be a massacre like the one he’d been accused of carrying out? Would another innocent person be blamed?

  She dropped her face onto her bent knees and let the prospect—just the idea—run through her. For a few tortured minutes, she pictured it—arriving to find the place quiet and smelling of blood, the only sound the buzzing of flies on bodies.

  Her eyes shut against the image, then opened to land on Elias’s dark form. The man’s strength was astounding. She admired it, the way she liked his preparedness and, frankly, his rough good looks. But more than all of it, she liked his heart. He’d lost so much, given so much, lived through hell. He deserved to be taken care of. To be loved.

  The idea sent an uncomfortable jolt through her.

  Shit. No. Not by me.

  She di
dn’t do that nonsense. Didn’t know how. Oh, she loved her teammates. Ans and Von and Eric were stone walls she could lean on—men she’d trust with anything, go to the ends of the earth for. Literally.

  And yet, in all the years she’d known them, she’d never once mentioned her mom. They hadn’t pushed, which she’d always appreciated. And God knew she’d never asked for their darkest secrets.

  Now she wondered if maybe that emotional distance had paradoxically allowed her to get close to them.

  Even as a kid, she’d never talked to anyone about her mom’s death. Not the counselors who’d chipped away at her—using art and music and every therapy available—and certainly not her dad. He’d pretty much sunk everything into music once Mom was gone, which had left Leo to dream, her eyes on the sky.

  Shame washed over her. Guilt too. And something more elemental, something she’d never be able to describe. There wasn’t a word for this feeling, but she figured Elias knew it well—like she’d been a ghost all these years. Haunted. Doing things, experiencing them, but not really living.

  Like she was equal parts flesh and blood and pain.

  Bo stirred, pushing her from her morbid line of thought. Thank God, because she’d just about reached her limit of internal philosophizing. And this shit never did her any good.

  Was the sky getting lighter?

  Good. Though she was still exhausted and every bone and muscle hurt like hell, she couldn’t wait to get back on her feet again. To get moving and tackle another leg in this unexpected journey. To face whatever the day would bring.

  With Elias by her side, that prospect didn’t scare her at all.

  ***

  Maybe this sunrise—from the dark blue haze on the horizon to the flames eating up the sky—could cleanse the night’s ghosts. Maybe, Leo thought, the new day would bring something good. If nothing else, it would wipe away the vestiges of all that unintended intimacy. Like a bad hangover, the embarrassment of having over-shared weighed her down. She could only hope that the light of day would wipe the memories away, rather than shining a spotlight on them.