Seeing Double (The Perception Trilogy Book 1)

by Alyssa Lynn

  Demo put himself between Ethan and Ava. He’d never seen this side of her before and wasn’t sure what she was capable of. He helped Ethan up and Ava supported Kaycie as they walked over to the ambulance. The EMTs assisted them into the ambulance and they all took their seats inside, with Ethan positioning himself the furthest away from Ava. Kaycie looked out the back of the ambulance while they closed the doors and noticed the three suited men being pulled from the SUV and loaded onto stretchers.

  “Great,” Kaycie said. “Can’t wait to be placed in the same medical facility as those fuckers.”

  ~

  Once the three had been settled into their hospital beds, Demo stood next to Ava and held her hand. Ethan was being stitched up at the other side of the room and Kaycie was attempting to wipe the blood off of her skirt with a rag that she conned off of the male nurse who came in to check on her.

  Ava looked at Demo and squeezed his hand. “I will make sure that we get you checked out as soon as we’re able to. Kaycie is a nurse and can do the basics. We just won’t know if there is any internal damage.”

  Demo put his finger over Ava’s mouth to quiet her down. “I will be fine. We need to get you guys checked out and get ourselves out of here. I don’t feel comfortable having you this close to those men. I didn’t like the way they were touching you and talking to you.”

  She could see his face turning red as he talked about it. “I thought you were knocked out when he was grabbing onto my leg.” Demo shook his head and stared at the floor, not letting go of her hand.

  The doctor came in and walked over to Ava. “Miss, I need your consent to allow visitors into your room.”

  Demo looked at Ava and said, “Sir, I’m not a visitor. I was a witness to the accident and I’m her...” he trailed off.

  “I’m not referring to you. I’m referring to the women with their faces pressed up against the glass.”

  Ava looked over the doctor’s shoulder to see Jaime, Brittney, and Taylor peeking into her room with frightened expressions on their faces. “Where do I sign?” she asked.

  The girls came pouring into the room and ran over to the side of Ava’s bed. All three of them were in lab coats, which assured Ava that her work was getting done.

  “What the hell happened to you?” Jaime asked.

  “This isn’t what we meant when we told you to take a vacation,” Brittney said. “One minute you’re sending us pictures of an amazing city view and now you’re in a hospital bed?”

  “Maybe you should have stayed with us at the lab,” Taylor added, looking Demo up and down. “Who are you?”

  “Girls, this is Demo,” Ava said. “Now, I’m going to tell you something that may or may not throw you into a tantrum. I need you to all have an open mind.” Brittney, Jaime, and Taylor looked at her with blank stares. After a few seconds of silence, Ava decided to continue. “Demo here, isn’t like the rest of us.”

  “You mean, he’s not a geneticist?” asked Jaime.

  “No. I mean he’s not exactly human,” Ava said. “I mean, he’s human… but he’s not human.” Her lab partners didn’t move an inch and continued to stare at her.

  “I don’t get it,” Taylor said.

  “I’m a clone,” Demo said, standing and extending his hand for introductory purposes. Like cats watching a laser pointer, the three of them looked down at his hand and back up to his face. “It’s meant to shake,” he continued.

  Ignoring his gesture, the girls looked back at Ava. Just then, a nurse came over with charts and stood next to Ethan’s hospital bed. Two other nurses joined her and they started whispering and pointing to his IV.

  Ava looked at Demo and mumbled, “Something is wrong.”

  Demo stood and attempted to get into earshot of their conversation. After a few minutes, he returned to Ava’s bed and knelt down.

  “They’re saying something is wrong with his blood,” Demo said, and gestured toward the samples that were being placed in a bag next to his bed. The gears in Ava’s head started turning.

  “Girls, I know that I’m always pretty strict when it comes to things in the lab, but I’m going to need you to throw out the rule book for today and do as I say. Can you handle that for me?” The three girls looked at each other and nodded at Ava.

  Demo walked over to the bed and stalled the nurses while Ava talked with her lab partners. A few minutes later, Jaime and Brittney came walking over to Demo. Brittney stuck her foot and tripped Jaime. Jaime fell forward onto Ethan’s bed, knocking the blood sample carrier onto the floor. Taylor rushed over and helped the nurse pick everything up off of the floor, while Brittney helped Jaime back up to her feet. Ava couldn’t help but chuckle at her partners’ award-winning performance.

  The three girls apologized profusely to the nurse who gave them an annoyed look. Jaime looped her arm through Brittney’s and nodded at Ava over her shoulder as they exited the room and left the hospital.

  CHAPTER twelve

  G etting blood drawn at a doctor’s office lab and waiting on the results can be torturous. Dependent upon the test being conducted, it can take around twenty-four hours from the time the samples are received at the lab, to the time the results are back to your physician. When you have three genetic physicists on your hands, the turnaround time will be a small portion of that.

  Back at the hospital, the police got statements from the group, which were minimal since they were in the back of the vehicle. The group had come to the conclusion that they needed a story as to why they were in that SUV. Since they didn’t want those guys running free around the hospital, they came up with a tale that would have them put behind bars for the foreseeable future. Ava made sure to include the words ‘kidnapping’ and ‘drug lords’.

  After two hours of being in the hospital, the group had been tested, questioned, and fed some questionable substances from the cafeteria down the hall.

  “We’re running out of time,” Demo said to Ava. “What exactly are we waiting on from your friends?”

  “I just have a gut feeling, that’s all,” Ava replied. “Once I get my answers, I will know what our plan of action is.”

  “Hey, guys,” Kaycie whispered, nodding toward the hallway outside their room. Three suited men were walking by in a hurry. All equipped with ear pieces and angry faces.

  “Get down!” Ava whispered to the three of them.

  All at once, the group jumped down to the floor and winced as they felt the repercussions of the car accident. Demo crawled over to the window and peeked up over the sill.

  “I don’t see them,” he whispered over his shoulder. The other three joined him and they pressed their backs up against the wall, staying low.

  “What do we do,” asked Kaycie.

  Ethan got up onto his knees and gestured for the rest to follow him. “We need to get out of here. It’s not safe.”

  “Oh, now you decide to talk,” Ava whispered.

  “Listen, I’m not exactly proud of what I’ve done, but it happened and now it’s time to do something about it,” replied Ethan.

  “Leading an army crawl convoy down the hall isn’t going to make up for the fact that you froze in the middle of a fucking crisis,” whispered Kaycie.

  “I’m not referring to what happened at the club,” Ethan said over his shoulder.

  Kaycie looked at Ava, and Demo narrowed his eyes. “What exactly do you mean by that, Ethan?” he asked.

  “There isn’t much time to explain. Just know that there will be more arriving shortly and they won’t stop until they have all of us back in their grasp.”

  They followed Ethan out the door and got to their feet as they made their way down the hall. “Feel free to explain yourself at any time,” said Ava.

  “I will once I know that you’re all safe,” said Ethan. He stopped walking and looked at Kaycie, “I just need you to know that whatever happens to all of us, I really did care about you.”

  “Save the mushy shit and let’s get out of here,” Ava said, before K
aycie could respond. Looking up, Ava made eye contact with one of the men in blue. “Run,” she said as she pushed Kaycie down the hall.

  Shoving everyone out of their way, they ran for the front door of the hospital. Nurses dodged them as they came barreling into the lobby where two additional men were standing guard. Demo jumped in front of the girls and Ethan followed his lead, punching and swinging at them as they hollered for Kaycie and Ava to run.

  Rushing past the fight; the girls hurled themselves through the guarded double-doors. As the sun hit Ava’s face, she could hear Kaycie screaming. As her eyes adjusted to the bright light, she noticed Kaycie was being hauled off toward a shiny black car. She darted toward her, extending her hand to Kaycie. Before she knew what was happening, Ava was tackled to the ground. Kaycie continued to fight to get free, but was thrown in the back seat of the car and the door was slammed shut. Ava was yanked up to her feet with her arms held behind her back and led the other direction.

  After she was tied up and tossed on to the back seat of a different vehicle, the driver climbed into his seat and locked the doors. “This time, you won’t have the help of your crew to get you out of this one.”

  “It wasn’t my crew that got us out of it the last time. It was your men’s shitty driving skills.” Ava wasn’t afraid this time. She was in fight mode and was ready to take them by the balls as soon as she could find a way to break free.

  The man reached back and cracked her across the head with an open hand. “Shut up you little bitch or I’ll tell the boss it was an accident that you didn’t make it back alive.”

  Ava could feel her head spinning from the impact, but gained composure and tried to breathe through the pain. Her pocket buzzed and Ava was hopeful that it was a text from Demo saying that he was on his way to save her. Keeping her eye on the driver, she rolled herself onto her back. Freezing in place when he checked the rearview mirror, she slid her arms down her butt and all the way down to her feet, pulling her hands to the front of her body. Reaching into her pocket, she removed her phone and dropped it in front of her. Quickly and quietly, she pushed a button on the side of the phone and woke up the screen to reveal a message from her friends at the lab.

  “Shit,” she whispered as she read the text message. The driver turned his head to see Ava’s phone lit up on the floor.

  Slamming on the brakes, her cell phone slid to the front of the vehicle and the driver picked it up and smashed it off of the dash. “You’re pushing your limits, little girl.”

  Starting to feel defeated, she remained still for the duration of the ride until they came to a complete stop. The back door opened and she was removed from the seat and tossed onto a cart like a bag of luggage. Looking ahead of her, she could see Kaycie being loaded onto a plane next to Demo, but Ethan was nowhere to be found. When the cart reached the plane, she was yanked to her feet dragged up the steps. Ava was thrown into a seat directly across from Kaycie and Demo. She made sure to give them both a once-over to ensure they were alive.

  “Are you guys okay,” she asked them.

  All of a sudden she felt a blow to her abdomen and looked up to see the driver from her SUV. “One more strike and you’re out.” She curled over in pain. When she tried to breathe through the pain, she came back to an upright position and noticed him looking at the base of her dress.

  She rolled her head back against the head rest and kept breathing. Determination was settling in and she was bound to find a way out of this. Glancing around the inside of the plane, she saw one exit door that was being guarded, so she knew the chances of escaping the plane were slim to none. Kaycie and Demo were panic-stricken as they stared at her.

  Demo started wiggling in his chair as he felt tears coming into his eyes. “Touch her again and you’ll be sorry.”

  The driver walked over to Ava and grabbed a handful of her hair, “I suggest you choose your words wisely. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.” He lifted his hand and pointed at Kaycie and Demo. “For every word that escapes your mouths, I’ll leave a mark on her perfect little body.” He raised his hand and slapped Ava across the cheek, throwing her head back. “And I ain’t fucking kidding. Keep quiet.”

  Demo, feeling completely helpless, dropped his head. Kaycie looked over at him and could see the tears falling from his face and disappearing into the fabric of his pants. She let her eyes wander over to Ava who was using everything she had to hold herself upright in her seat. Wanting to scream out, she knew it would only result in more wounds on her best friend.

  The plane took off and the group knew where they were heading.

  Goodbye Chicago. Next stop: Lakin, Kansas.

  ~

  Jetlag usually throws off any individual after being on a plane for too long, but jetlag with multiple contusions to the head will keep just about anyone from standing upright. “Get moving, you worthless piece of garbage,” the men told Ava as they shoved her down the steps of the plane. When she reached the bottom, she came face to face with a man that stood out from the others.

  His black suit was done up with silver accessories and he stood straight up with two guards standing behind him. Ava looked up at him, but couldn’t see his eyes through his sunglasses. “You must be Ava,” the black suit said to her. “I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.” He waved his finger in the air and the two suits behind him came up and grabbed Ava by each arm. Kaycie and Demo were being led down the stairs behind her as they were loaded into the backseat of a van.

  Moving quickly, Demo pulled the man holding him, as he rushed to Ava’s side and caught her drooping head with his shoulder.

  “Well, isn’t that sweet,” said the man in the black suit. “Our shining-star clone found himself a little girlfriend while he was away.” He lit a cigar and grinned, “I knew you were special the moment I created you.”

  “Marcus, let her go,” Demo said to the black suit. “You can do whatever you want with me, but let these two go!” He tried to wiggle free of the fabric they used to tie his wrists behind his back. Kaycie was dragged by her wrist to catch up to the rest of the group. Marcus took a good, long look at her.

  Kaycie looked next to her at Demo and just shook her head. “It’s no use,” she whispered.

  One of the blue suits got into the driver’s seat of the van as Marcus climbed into the passenger seat. The three of them were crunched together in the third row seat with an empty middle seating section between them and Marcus. The sound of the tires on the driving path flooded into the vehicle. Bumpy roads bounced them around and had Ava opening her eyes. She began to lift her head off of Demo’s shoulder as she looked around the van.

  “Where are we?” she whispered.

  “We’re in a van, Ava. Please lie your head back down,” Demo replied.

  “I can’t. We need to get out of here. Where is Kaycie?” She asked, starting to panic.

  Demo leaned back to reveal Kaycie sitting right next to him. “I’m okay, Ava. Please calm down.” Kaycie had tears forming in her eyes and Demo was fighting the urge himself. Ava’s condition had them both turning in to emotional wrecks.

  Ava began to sob, “Kaycie, I’m so sorry.”

  “Ava, this isn’t your fault. It was Ethan and I who decided to follow you to the hotel that night, not yours. We got ourselves into this, so please don’t-,”

  “Kaycie,” Ava whispered through sniffles. “I’m not apologizing for dragging you into this.”

  “Then, why are you apologizing?” asked Demo.

  Ava directed her attention to Demo and asked, “Why didn’t you tell us what was happening?”

  “Why didn’t I tell you what?” he asked. Ava stared into his eyes as he responded and could see that Demo truly had no idea what she was talking about.

  “I got the response back from the lab. Jaime, Brittney, and Taylor worked their asses off to get that sample processed and sent back to me.” She lifted her knee and bent over to use the bottom of her dress as a napkin. Wiping the blood from her lip, sh
e straightened back up. “The lab results hit my phone while I was in the back of the SUV heading toward the plane.”

  Kaycie looked at Ava, “And?”

  Ava sighed, “Ethan’s genetic makeup is the same as Demo’s.”

  CHAPTER thirteen

  A s they pulled into a grassy field next to the factory; the group was holding their breath in fear of what was to come next. Ava was sitting still in her seat, using everything she had left in her to keep herself upright. Demo couldn’t take his eyes off of Ava and felt more and more helpless with every passing second. Kaycie sat next to Demo, feeling completely numb at the fact that the guy she had actually fallen for was, in fact, a clone this entire time. Not to mention, the man that fed them to the wolves.

  “Get your asses moving,” said one of the suited men.

  The group stood from their seats and made their way to the door of the van. Demo knew that walking any distance would be a chore for Ava. He kept close to her in case he needed to lie on the ground and create a cushion for her to fall on.

  Kaycie looked up at the towering building and got chills from head to toe. She was in awe of the fact that she was at the scene of where it all went down. This building took Jett away from Ava, placed Demo into their lives, and now, they assumed, would take the lives of all three of them at once.

  Ava looked at Kaycie through a swollen black eye with blood running down from her lip. “Welcome to hell,” she whispered.

  They made their way through the field that surrounded the parking lot and came to a stop once they reached the fence. Kaycie was looking around for Ethan, but there was still no sign of him. Marcus opened the locked gate and shoved the three of them through, before locking the fence behind them.