“Sleep well, Moira.” Noah winked at me. I shot him a glare as I went inside. If he left after Jaiden and Kenna without me, I’d hunt him down. Elemontera be damned.
The siren of the ferry pierced the air, jolting me from sleep. Yawning, I got to my feet and hurried outside. The lights of the city were bright enough to make it seem like it was daylight already. For a country that was getting most of its power from collecting elemental energy, we sure as hell spent lots of it on shiny, colorful lights. Noah waited for me at the docks, a smile spreading his lips.
“How come you didn’t disappear already?” I was glad he hadn’t gone off without me, but I wouldn’t have really blamed him if he had.
“Too tired.” He lifted his arms in the air, arching his back. “Can’t go anywhere like this. It would be suicide.”
“Okay, so where do we go?” I was hoping that by the time we actually went looking for Kenna, Jaiden would have already found her. He hadn’t had to wait for a ferry to get to the city. That was the main reason why I wasn’t afraid of running into Elemontera.
“We have a safe place here. Like our own little apartment,” Noah said. “For emergencies, and to have somewhere to sleep if we happen to stay in the city. If Jaiden found Kenna, they’ll be there. If not, we can contact him from there. Come on.”
My eyebrows went up. “Interesting. And Elemontera won’t be able to find us?”
Noah shook his head. “Not unless we run into them on our way there.”
“That’s not very comforting.” I looked at people around us, but I had no clue how I could identify a potential threat.
“I know. Let’s get out of here.” He took my hand and we immersed ourselves in the crowd. When we were finally alone, Noah tugged me toward a dark alley. I pressed myself closer to him, half-expecting some kind of a monster to jump out at us from the shadows. I considered using some of my fire, but that wouldn’t be a smart thing to do in a city where someone could actually recognize me. Just because we couldn’t see anyone didn’t mean someone wasn’t hiding somewhere and observing our every move.
“In here,” Noah whispered, pushing at the door of an old-looking building with dilapidated walls. I held my breath as we climbed the metal stairs. What kind of a place was this?
“You guys really like to live in rat infested places, don’t you?” I said as Noah stopped in front of a big dark door.
“Rats? What rats?” he chuckled. “Wait until you see some of the places where I slept when I was on the run.”
“Right.” I hugged myself, ready to throw a fireball if something dared to move in the darkness. Noah pressed his hand against the door and colors started to swirl in the spot where a knob would have been. The door clicked and slid sideways, revealing a dark hall.
“Come on.” Noah urged me inside.
I stepped over the threshold, turning my hand into fire. “Who else can enter this place?” The element enhanced locks opened only for elements they recognized and that existed in their system. No one else could enter, except for people who shared the same element with the person who set up the lock, like close relatives. Even then, the security settings could be changed to respond only to one element.
“Oh, everyone from our group.” Noah slid the door back into place. “At first we thought the lock wouldn’t be able to distinguish between so many elements, but it turned out it could.”
“Does that mean Kenna’s brother can enter?” Genetically manipulated or not, Kenna and her brother probably shared at least one nearly identical element.
“The elements should match exactly, but...” He frowned. “I’m not sure. We never tried it. Shortage of siblings.”
“Can you remove Kenna’s element from the system?” If her brother could get in without a problem, then we could be in danger. We could always let Kenna in if she came.
“I wouldn’t do that.” He flipped a switch and light filled the hall and rooms. I put out my fire, checking out the empty rooms and finding only beds, desks, drawers, and bare walls. This place was even less fun than the underground hideout. Who would have thought that was possible?
“Damn it. I thought they’d be here.” Noah looked like he was about to pass out.
“Go to sleep. I’ll keep watch.” And bore myself to death. There weren’t even books in sight.
“Thanks.” Noah sprawled on one of the beds, letting out a content sigh. I left him to sleep and tried to find something interesting in the kitchen. A phone caught my eye and I remembered Noah saying we could try to contact Jaiden from here. The only problem was that I didn’t know how. I didn’t know his number, but maybe this phone had him on speed dial. It was worth a try. I pressed a couple of buttons, but the phone appeared to be dead. It looked like I’d have to wait until Noah woke up. Nothing except for my mind to keep me company. Oh God. I so wasn’t looking forward to the next couple of hours.
Chapter 21
I was bent over the table, my head in my hands. Something rustled and I looked up. My relief was immense when Noah appeared in the doorway, his black hair tousled.
“Oh thank God. I was starting to go insane in here.” I got to my feet.
“You didn’t figure it out, did you?” He leaned on the door, a sly smile on his face.
“Figure out what?” My voice was slightly hostile.
Noah made his way across the kitchen and hit a button on one of the counters. A drawer cracked open, revealing a stash of food. “Sorry, I should have told you. I was just so tired that...”
“Yeah, you should have. I realized it was locked, but I didn’t know there was a way to open it.” I gritted my teeth together, but I was too stressed out to argue. “Is there any coffee in there? Because I need some. And all I want to do is take a long shower. Please tell me there’s hot water.” I was sure I could heat the water with my element, but I’d rather not destroy the bathroom or make something explode.
“Yeah, plenty of hot water.” He rummaged through the stuff in the drawer. “I’ll make you some coffee.”
“Great.” I hurried toward the bathroom, desperate to get sweat and dirt from the trip off my skin. I grabbed one of the white towels and shut the door behind me. If someone dared to interrupt me, I was ready to incinerate them.
The hot water did wonders for my strained and tired muscles. When I was done, I wrapped the towel around me. The whole bathroom was full of steam and I didn’t feel like putting on my sticky clothes.
“Noah?” I called tentatively from the hall. “Do you have some spare clothes around here? Maybe something for girls?” If Kenna and the other girls from the group had access to this place, then there had to be some clothes for emergencies, right? My house was on the other end of the city and I didn’t have time to go there only to change. The clothes I’d taken to the island were mostly in bits and pieces after the fight.
“I’m sure there’s something...” Noah’s jaw went slack once he saw me.
I pushed wet strands of my hair out of my face. “Noah... Clothes?”
“Right.” He blinked as I clutched the towel closer to myself. His arm brushed mine as he slipped past me into another room. Goose bumps erupted on my skin and I closed my eyes, focusing on my fire. A cloud of warmth surrounded me, making me smile. Maybe there was still hope for me and my fire. I was actually starting to feel it the same way I felt my air.
“This might fit you.” Noah returned, carrying a heap of clothes in his hands. He shoved the heap toward me, nearly making me drop the towel.
“Hey, easy with that.” I called forward my air and held up the clothes with it. “Thanks.”
A smile curled Noah’s lips as he headed back to the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulder at me a moment before he disappeared around the corner. I went into one of the empty rooms and locked the door. But as I checked out the clothes, I realized most of it was too tight for me. Well, everything except for one red dress. I wasn’t a big fan of dresses and couldn’t remember the last time I wore one, but none of Kenna’s skinny jean
s fit me.
The dress came just above my knee and it was very close-fitting in the chest area, so I took Kenna’s black leather jacket and put it on. In combination with my combat boots my new outfit didn’t look as horrible as I’d thought it would. The delicious scent of coffee filled my nose and I half-walked, half-ran to the kitchen.
“Please tell me I’m not hallucinating and you really made coffee,” I said, spotting two mugs on the counter.
“I did.” He pushed the mug toward me.
“Oh thank God.” I snatched the mug and took a big gulp of the warm liquid. “Mmm. Coffee.”
“You sound like a zombie. Are you sure you don’t need some rest?” Noah picked up his mug.
“I’ll be fine.” I could usually go a night or two with little sleep, especially when I was under stress and had to do something important. Exam time at the university had taught me that. I’d probably have to sleep for hours the next day, but I didn’t want to waste any more time when we had to find Kenna and Jaiden. “So where do you think Kenna went?”
“No idea.” His brow wrinkled. “I hoped they’d come here, but maybe Jaiden already found her and they sneaked into some expensive hotel.”
“Can’t you contact him?” I doubted Jaiden would go off on such a dangerous mission without a way to contact someone.
Noah shook his head. “His phone is off.”
I set the mug on the counter. “Okay. That’s a problem. What do we do then?”
“If Kenna is still trying to find her brother, then she’ll be somewhere near Elemontera’s headquarters.” His blue eyes met mine.
“So we go straight to the enemy.” I was hoping Jaiden had found Kenna, but wouldn’t have someone contacted us? Jaiden knew Noah would come after him. He’d say something, wouldn’t he? Leave a message? It would be stupid to risk Noah’s life for nothing. “Just tell me where the headquarters are and I’ll pass by.” I shrugged. “They don’t have me in their system.”
“But if one of us sees you...” Noah placed his mug in the sink and let the water run.
“They won’t be able to get me. I mean, it’s morning. The city is teeming with people. If someone jumps a random girl on the street, someone will see, especially if the girl uses her elements to save herself.” People might not be inclined to help me if I got attacked, but they’d sure as hell gawk or try to get a nice recording. If Elemenotra wanted to keep things quiet, they’d have a problem because there’d be videos on the net in no time.
“But if they put a blocking device on you and it somehow works, they’ll capture you.” He gave me a pained look. “I can’t let that happen.”
“Do you have weapons here? Something that will work despite fancy devices?” I cocked my head, tracing my finger across the wooden surface of the counter.
“Yeah, we have guns.” He crouched and opened one of the cupboards. After he removed the panel, he took out two guns and put them on the counter. I picked up the gun and pointed it in front of me. Noah inhaled sharply, backing away.
“What? I’m not going to shoot you.” I kept my fingers away from the trigger.
“Just put it down. Please.” He cleared his throat.
I placed the gun back on the counter. “What’s with you and guns? I swear I saw you freeze when Marlau aimed at you. I mean, I know it’s scary to have a gun pointed at your head...”
Noah sighed, his shoulders slumped. “Every time someone points a gun at my face, I remember when Elemontera first found me. I thought I was going to die and I just... I’ve never felt more helpless in my life.”
“I’m sorry,” I said softly.
His lips turned up into a smile. “It’s okay. You take the guns. I think we can fit them into your boots. Just don’t forget to put the safety off when you need to use them.” He went around the counter and knelt in front of me, taking one of the guns.
“Just don’t look up my dress,” I said jokingly.
A grin broke out on his face. “Never.” He sat back on his heels. “Can you walk comfortably? Or do I need to adjust them?”
I took a couple of tentative steps.
“You look like you had too much to drink,” he chuckled.
“I can’t do this.” I wriggled my foot, but nothing stopped the guns from digging into my leg every time I moved. “Can’t I just put them somewhere under my jacket?”
“The jacket is a little too thin. Everyone will see you’re armed.”
And that was a danger because someone could easily disarm me before I saw them coming. “Okay, I’ll keep one. Take the other out.”
“As you wish.” Noah pulled out the gun and tucked it into his waistband as he rose to his feet. It was a good thing he wasn’t afraid of guns in general, just when they were pointed at him. “Let me show you something,” he said, opening a drawer and pulling out a map of the city. I cleared the counter so he could spread out the map.
“Elemontera is right here. Between these two banks.” Noah pointed at one of the streets. “The building looks like a hotel.”
“Okay. It looks like a busy area. How do they even get elementals inside? Wouldn’t someone see them?”
“They have a private garage under the building, so their vans just go directly inside.” He found a black marker and circled the building. “If Kenna is waiting for an opportunity to get inside, she could be hiding in this alley. It leads straight to the garage. She can’t exactly walk or fly through the front door without being seen.” He traced his finger across the map. “You could take a walk around here.”
“Okay. But what about Jaiden? Where could he be?”
“I’ll go look for him. He could be flying above, looking for Kenna.”
“Great,” I mumbled. “So I’ll have to keep glancing up in case they’re both flying above us. Don’t you think they might try to get inside the building through the roof or through an open window?” I kept forgetting about Kenna’s and Jaiden’s abilities to fly. That would be easier than trying to walk past the guards. Surely someone in Elemontera would open a window or forget about it. A wave of dread overcame me. What if Elemontera had already captured Kenna or Jaiden or both? And that was why Jaiden wasn’t answering his phone... Or maybe he was simply flying and couldn’t answer the phone while in the air.
“No. The building doesn’t have any windows that can be opened. They most likely closed the roof or upped their security because Jaiden and I had used it to break in when we were trying to save my sister.” Sadness flickered through his eyes. “Their air vents go into the ground and it would be hard to figure out where one of us could get inside.”
“Okay.” I focused on the map, wondering where Kenna could be hiding and at the same time have the best view of the building. I was only vaguely familiar with that part of the city since I hadn’t been there many times.
Noah glanced at the phone. “We should get going.”
I nodded, glad that my hair was mostly dry by now. We didn’t have time to waste. One part of me was excited about this mission, but the other part realized how dangerous this was. We weren’t playing hide and seek. Our lives could be at stake if Elemontera noticed us. Still, as Noah and I walked through the door, I was confident that we could find Kenna and Jaiden before it was too late. I must have lost a couple of brain cells in that fight.
Chapter 22
I made my way across the street, the gun digging into my skin as a constant reminder of the danger. It was just a regular day in the city and I had a hard time believing some of the people who walked past me could be Elemontera’s agents. My whole body quivered as a man in a suit bumped into me, but he simply went away, an annoyed expression on his face. I looked up, but I couldn’t see anything shimmering in the air. It was hard to tell whether the shiny things on the roofs were sparkling because an invisible elemental was hiding there or it was only a reflection. I lowered my eyes just in time to avoid a lamp post.
“Hi,” a male voice said behind my back, making me jump. For a fraction of a second, I considered g
oing for the gun, but we were surrounded by people. I couldn’t exactly pull a gun on a random guy who might or might not be talking to me. Slowly turning around, I saw a blond guy around my age, amusement glistening in his green eyes. “Do you need help?”
“What? No, I was...” Did I look like a tourist? Maybe. I’d been looking around me and inspecting every building as if I were seeing it for the first time.
“Oh, sorry. I thought you were lost. Are you looking for something?”
“No. I have to do an essay on architecture, so I was... trying to find inspiration.” I hoped my lie would sound believable enough. For all I knew, I was talking to one of Elemontera’s agents.
“I know a lot about architecture. Maybe we can talk about it over coffee.” The guy’s eyes lowered to my cleavage and then to my legs, reminding me that I was wearing a dress, so I pulled the jacket closer to myself.
“No, thanks. I have to do something.” I turned to leave.
“At least tell me your name and number. We can...” The guy ran after me. “I’m Robert, by the way.”
I stopped, licking my lips. “Look, Robert, I really don’t have time. My girlfriend is waiting for me.” I winked at him and his lips spread into a little O. He didn’t try to follow me as I strode down the street. I was only a couple of steps from Elemontera’s headquarters when the main door opened and a dark-haired man in a suit came out. It was too late to back away and turn around. He’d see me and find it suspicious since he was looking straight at me. Bile rose in my throat, my pulse racing. What if everyone was wrong and Elemontera had developed a device to track us? What if my elements shimmered around me because I was nervous?
The man started toward me, weaving through the crowd. I had no other choice but to pass next to him. If he let me. The man pushed his way through to me, his arm brushing against my shoulder. Goose bumps rose on my skin, my heart in my throat. The man’s dark eyes met mine, but then his gaze narrowed at something in front of him. Without a second glance at me, he rushed down the street. Where was he going? I risked a look over my shoulder and saw a shimmering cloud disappearing around the corner. Shit! The man was going straight for the cloud!
Different (Tainted Elements Book 1) Page 13
