Red Awakening (Red Zone)

by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

  “This isn’t going to work,” she said helpfully before disappearing.

  Mace turned back to glare at the window. Would it have killed her to give him a little support? He didn’t hear her coming up with any ideas to get them out of this. With a grunt of frustration, he swung the chair.

  Another muted thud. This time producing spiderwebs in the glass. Encouraged, he emitted the noises he hoped would dampen the sound and launched the chair at the window. The glass shattered with a faint tinkling instead of an almighty crash, sending shards out into the night. He breathed a sigh of relief. It worked better than he’d hoped.

  Striding over to the sofa, he tapped Keiko on the shoulder. “Time to get out of here.”

  She dropped her hands from her ears. “Did you change your mind? Are we doing my plan instead?” She peeked out from behind the sofa, and her jaw dropped. “Why didn’t I hear it smash?”

  Mace grabbed a cushion from the sofa and strode back to the gaping hole that used to be a window. Leaning through it, he dusted as much of the glass as he could off the ledge.

  “I don’t understand why I didn’t hear it smash.” Keiko sounded a little bewildered.

  “Strip the covers off the other two pillows. We’re going to need them.”

  “For what?” she asked as she did as she was told.

  “To cushion the jagged frame so you don’t rip your ass open getting through the other window.” The opening in front of them was big enough to step through without getting cut on the sharp edges, but they wouldn’t be so lucky with the other one.

  She put her hand on his arm to get his attention. “Mace, I really don’t want to go out on that ledge.”

  His heart clenched tight. “I wish there was another way. I really do. But this is our only option. It’s this or take your chances with the Freedom soldiers who’re coming our way right this minute.”

  She paled, and he covered her hand with his in a gesture meant to reassure. Her hand was so slender and dainty that it made his look like a bear’s paw. It was a shock to be reminded of just how much smaller Keiko was than him. Her personality and presence made it seem as though she were bigger, physically stronger, but really, she was tiny. Breakable, that’s what she was. Tiny and fragile.

  Like me, a voice whispered in his mind.

  Mace froze, his hand clasping Keiko’s tightly. Things had just gotten a whole lot worse for both of them. Because the voice he’d heard wasn’t his own but the one he’d heard in the nightclub. And this time, there was no denying that he’d heard it—his animal half was talking to him. Something it hadn’t done in the three years since Mace had woken changed. Somehow, some way, Keiko Sato had triggered a transformation in his mutated genetics.

  And it would change both of their lives forever.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Are you okay?” Keiko stared up into Mace’s eyes, but they were strangely blank. He’d checked out on her. And considering she’d literally put her life in his hands, that wasn’t a good thing.

  His jaw tightened as his eyes slowly focused on her again. “Yeah.”

  “You don’t seem okay. You seem to have zoned out. Do you hear something I can’t again? Is that what it is?”

  The muscle at the corner of his jaw clenched and unclenched. It wasn’t reassuring.

  “Mace?” she pressed.

  “I thought I heard something, but it was nothing.”

  That would have been a lot more convincing if he didn’t seem so distracted. “Are you sure you’re up to this? You aren’t going to freak out on me and walk off the ledge, taking me with you, are you?”

  “What? No.” He glared at her. “I’m just thinking.”

  “It looks painful. Maybe you should stop doing it until this is over.”

  “Funny.”

  She wasn’t being funny. She was serious. “How about we just wait for Enforcement to rescue us. You don’t have to worry about being arrested. I’ll tell them you’re my bodyguard. They’ll believe me.” Maybe. She batted her eyelashes at him, trying to appear as innocent as possible.

  It didn’t work. “You only think they’ll believe you because you’re one of them. The rest of us know that Enforcement will do exactly what Miriam Shepherd tells them to do. And she only follows her own law.”

  “That’s not true. She swore to uphold all of the law when she became president, and she’s doing a good job of leading the territory.”

  “Princess, she isn’t leading this territory. She’s running a company. Those are two totally different things. Now, are we going to argue, or are you coming with me?”

  Dumb question. “I think we should argue.”

  “Why did I ask?” He lifted her up again, like she was a doll. “I’m putting you as far along the ledge as I can reach, so that there’s room for me to climb out beside you.”

  Her nails dug into his arms as she held on tight. “I don’t like this idea. I want a new one.”

  As usual, when he didn’t agree with her, he just ignored her. “Keep an eye open for any shards of glass I’ve missed,” he said as he looked out onto the ledge.

  “How can I keep an eye out for glass shards? I can’t look down.” Not while her entire focus was on not dying.

  “If you feel something sharp,” he said with clearly strained patience, “don’t freak out. Just keep going, and we’ll deal with it once you’re through the other window.”

  Oh, she did not like the sound of that. “What if I get a serious gash, and I bleed a lot, and the ledge becomes slippery with blood, and I fall to my death?”

  He just shook his head, leaned out of the window, and placed her farther along the ledge. Keiko didn’t let go of him. She couldn’t. It was impossible.

  “I want to scream.” It was a whispered confession. “Take me back into the room. This isn’t going to work.”

  Every muscle in her body became rigid as her eyes scrunched tight. There was no way she was letting go of Mace. None. She planned to hold onto him like he was a life raft and there were sharks in the water.

  “Princess, open your eyes.” His voice was soft, calm, even. “You need to help me out here. You need to take a couple of steps along the ledge to make room for me to come out there with you.”

  “No.” She shook her head furiously before freezing just as fast, afraid the movement would cause her to plummet to her death. “Take me back inside. I want to come back inside. If I’m going to die, I want to be shot instead of being splattered all over the ground.”

  “Nobody’s going to die. Take a step or two along the ledge, and I’ll come out there beside you.”

  “There’s no space for you. There’s barely space for me. You’re too wide for this ledge.”

  “How would you know? Your eyes are shut.”

  “I can’t do this,” she whispered. It wasn’t possible. She could hardly breathe, which was ironic, considering she was surrounded by air.

  “You can do anything you put your mind to. You’re one of the bravest women I’ve ever met.”

  “That would be more reassuring if it wasn’t so sexist. Why not bravest person? Why woman? Like we need a different standard? Where does this attitude come from? It’s as though you were born in another time.”

  “That’s it. If you can sass, you can open your eyes and move along the ledge. I’m gonna count to three, and if you haven’t opened your eyes, I’m gonna climb out there anyway, put you under my arm, and carry you to the other window.”

  That made her eyes snap open. “You wouldn’t.”

  “The terrorists are getting close. We need to move now. Hold on to the wall and flatten yourself to it. You’re going to shuffle to the corner. I’ll be right beside you. The window we need is around that corner. We’re talking twenty steps at most. You can do it. I won’t let you fall.”

  “I hate you,” she muttered.

  “I know,” he agreed. “Now take the steps, princess.”

  With her stomach pressed flat against the wall, her cheek brushing
against it and her palms holding on to the flat surface in front of her, Keiko shuffled two tiny steps to the left.

  “That’s good. You’re doing good. Now remember to breathe while you’re doing it.”

  With his words, she started gasping in air and then caught herself. She needed to breathe slower. Excess oxygen would make her light-headed. And sixty-seven floors up was not the place to get light-headed.

  “I can do this,” she chanted. “I can do this… I can do this…”

  If Mace heard her, he didn’t comment. Without hesitation, he climbed out onto the ledge to stand beside her. His back was pressed to the wall, and it took her a second to realize he’d chosen that position because he needed the bulk of his body weight firmly on the ledge. Even flush against the wall, his toes would still poke over the edge into nothingness.

  Her heart leaped into her throat at the sight. Abort. Abort, her mind screamed at her. “The ledge isn’t big enough for you. You’re spilling over. We need to go back inside.”

  “I’ll be fine,” he said calmly. “I’ve dealt with worse.”

  “Like what?” she demanded. “What could be worse than standing on a tiny ledge with no safety harness while terrorists hunt you down? What?”

  Reaching out, he pressed a hand to the small of her back, which made her breathing ease somewhat. “Calm down,” he said, which had the opposite effect.

  “I swear. Once I am off this ledge, I am going to hurt you,” she promised.

  “That’s the attitude,” he said. “And to answer your question, back when I was an Army Ranger. I once had to walk a narrow ledge carved into a sheer cliff face. Felt like one of those crazy Alpine goats that scale walls looking for food.” He paused. “You ready to take the next step?”

  NO! No, no, no, no, no…

  “I’ll try,” she said out loud, tasting the lie in her words.

  Her limbs had locked in place, kept there by the fear of making one wrong move and falling to her death. He rubbed his thumb on her back, making her aware of the firm, wide hand holding her in place, comforting her with his strength.

  “I won’t let you fall. Concentrate on taking one step at a time. That’s all you need to do. Stare at the wall and take one step to the left. You don’t even need to lift your foot, just slide it along. There’s nothing on the ledge for you to trip over.”

  She rested her forehead on the cool wall. “How are you so calm?”

  “I’m calm because I know we’re gonna be fine. Take the step, princess. I’m here. I’ll keep you safe. Take the step.”

  “I must be mad,” she muttered, but her foot slid to the side, and they moved one step along the ledge.

  A barrage of gunfire sounded from beneath them, on the other side of the building, where the terrace was located. The sound made her quake. Was Abigail okay? Had she been injured? She wished her friend was with her—maybe not out on the ledge, though. Far beneath them, sirens blared, announcing the arrival of Territory Enforcement. How long until they dealt with Freedom? Would she still be alive when they did?

  “I can’t stop thinking about falling.” Keiko glanced over at him. He hadn’t even broken out in a sweat. “The more I think about it, the more I’m sure it’ll happen.”

  “Think about something else. But slide that foot over while you do it.”

  “Just like that, think about something else.” But she took the step, shaking as she did it.

  I can do this, I can do this, I can do this… lied the voice in her head.

  “Tell me something you’ve always wanted to do. Bet it isn’t walking on a ledge sixty-seven floors up.” His smile was teasing.

  “How can you joke right now?”

  “Life is cruel. You gotta take your fun where you can get it. Now tell me something you want to do.”

  There was no dealing with the man. And even though her voice was barely a whisper and her words trembled, she gave him what he wanted. “I’ve always wanted to go deep-sea diving.”

  “Okay. Not what I was expecting, but that’s fine. It’s about as far from this situation as possible. Good call.”

  She took the step as the wind whipped up around them and then calmed just as fast. A breeze. Not a storm. Just a breeze.

  I can do this… I can do this…

  She slid her feet to the left.

  “Only three more steps until the corner. And then maybe another five until we hit the window. Tell me something else you plan on doing after this is all over.”

  “Other than kiss the ground?”

  He actually chuckled. “Other than that.”

  “French cooking lessons,” she found herself saying.

  Mace pressed his hand to her back, keeping her flush against the wall and firmly on the ledge. “Never had any interest in cooking. I make one thing—chili. One more step to the corner. Is that your whole list?” He looked past her. “You can reach out and hold the corner now.”

  She made the mistake of turning her head, very slowly and carefully, to see what he meant. All she saw was the black, empty night and lights blinking far, far beneath them. They were so high up. With nothing between them and the ground but air. A wave of pure, unadulterated terror rushed through her, and suddenly it felt like the ledge beneath her feet was made of shifting sand. Her toes curled into it, trying to keep her in place, but it didn’t make any difference. It still felt like it was moving, ready to toss her off and into the night.

  “There’s nothing there.” She fought to get the words past her tightening throat. “I’m going to die. I’m going to step out into nothing. Because. There. Is. Nothing. There.”

  Her voice had faded to a strained whisper. Small whimpering noises escaped her as her red fingernails scratched at the wall, desperate for purchase. If she’d been thinking straight, her behavior would have embarrassed her. As it was, all she could think about was the nothingness in front of her. In the back of her mind, a calm realization settled, and she knew she was about ten seconds away from a full-blown panic attack. One that would take them both over the edge, straight to their deaths, but there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it.

  “You’re safe,” Mace said over the frenzied screaming in her head. “I’ve got you. You won’t fall.” His even voice sounded like it was coming from very far away.

  Her eyes scrunched shut, and her lips were a hairsbreadth from the wall, and her chant changed. “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…”

  The words drowned out everything else. Everything except the sure knowledge that the ledge was going to slip out from under her and she was going to die.

  …

  She was losing it. And Mace couldn’t allow that to happen.

  “Stop it.” He barked the order, the same way his old commander had done back in his army days. “Stop it right fucking now.”

  The chanting stopped, but the shaking remained. He felt it under his hand as he held her pressed against the wall. She vibrated with fear. It had burrowed into her mind, threading its way through every part of it, insidiously, like a worm in the earth. If he didn’t get her attention on him rather than on her fear, she would run off the ledge to get away from her demons. He’d seen it before. Watched good men panic and run into gunfire instead of away from it. He had to snap her out of it. And fast.

  “Look at me, Keiko Sato. Get your eyes on me. Now!”

  Slowly, she turned her head slightly and cracked open her eyelids. The terror he saw in her eyes almost stole his breath, but he couldn’t soften. He couldn’t comfort her. That wasn’t what she needed.

  Instead, he frowned. “You are going to get us both killed.” He kept his tone sharp. Forcing her to focus on his command rather than on the danger. “Now, hold on to the corner and slide around on the ledge. Do it slow. I’ll come with you.”

  Her only response was a slight shake of her head.

  “Fuck it, Keiko. Take the fucking step.”

  Her shoulders jerked slightly. “Don’t curse.” Her whispered words were like mann
a from heaven.

  “Take the fucking step. Or I swear, I’ll lift you and carry you around the corner.” And if she struggled in any way, they would both die. It wasn’t his best plan. But, hell, they were stuck on the ledge. There were gunmen inside looking for them. Helicopters hovered on the perimeter Enforcement had established, trying to get close enough to film something interesting. On top of that, they didn’t have a safety net or a tethering rope or backup of any kind.

  “Your language is foul.” Her voice trembled.

  “Shout at me once we’re safe inside.”

  “What if I step into air?”

  “Do as you’re told, and you won’t. Keep your toes against the wall. Slide along. Look at the wall. Take tiny steps. Move slow. I’ll hold you. All you have to do is follow the wall. Turn where it turns. You’ll be fine.”

  A single, silent tear rolled down her satin cheek. “I hate this.”

  “Don’t think about it.” That tear was a band tightening around his chest. “Just do it. Now.” He curled his fingers into her dress. Holding on to her. Making it clear that he had a grip and would catch her if she fell. “I’ve got you. You aren’t heavy enough to pull me over. Now go.”

  He put years of army training into his voice, making it clear it wasn’t a request. It was a do-or-die order. Literally.

  Slowly. Hesitantly. Her foot slid to the left.

  He almost let out a sigh of relief, but they weren’t out of danger yet. “Keep those toes against the wall. Reach for the corner. Hold on to it and keep your body tight against it as you turn.”

  Shivers racked her body, and he feared shock had set in. Another tear escaped to run down her cheek. She was breaking him in two with her courage in the face of overwhelming fear.

  “I will never forgive you for making me do this.” Her fingers gripped the corner of the wall, and she inched toward it.

  “I’ll add it to the list of things you’re holding a grudge over.” He followed close, letting her feel his heat. Reassuring her with his size. His strength. His brutal determination that they make it through this alive.

  A helicopter whirled and hovered outside the signal-jamming radius, its powerful beams of light scanning the building. It was either the press or Enforcement. Neither was good news for Mace.