“Aurora. Play,” she whispered.
Katherine relived the memory, relived it like she had on a thousand nights like this one… when her bare feet had sunk into the rug as she walked down the hall, to stand here outside a locked door she’d never open again. The song started to play, and Katherine pressed her ear to the door.
Ian had been in a terrible mood that day, so when he’d missed dinner, Katherine had shrugged it off—he was upset, but he’d see the wisdom of her decisions in the morning, as he always did.
But somehow, deep down, she’d known.
After dinner, when she was lying in her bed… she knew.
As she padded from the master bedroom to his, her heart racing… she knew.
Before she pushed the door open… she knew.
She knew Ian was already dead.
And that he’d been that way for hours.
“Anders! I told you to go home.”
Anders cracked an eye open and found an LED globe way too close to his face. Uncle Jay was holding it. “Get up.”
Anders shielded his eyes and darted a glance at the shuttered window. It was still dark out. Hell no.
He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. “Go away.” He said, his voice muffled.
“Your dad just called over the walkie. He’s almost to the tunnel.”
Fuuuuck. Anders shot into sitting position and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, just in time to see Jay scurrying out of the bedroom. He needed to get out of here before his dad found him.
Anders was in his mother’s childhood bedroom, in the brass canopy bed his uncle only kept around for him. Anders grabbed his jeans and shirt off the floor where he’d discarded them after spending half the night helping Uncle Jay fix tech.
His uncle was down the hall, in his office, quickly sweeping away the extra tech from Thrift. Anders grabbed his backpack from where he’d left it next to the armchair. He hesitated, running a hand down his face, glancing at the Persian rug under Jay’s chair, at the trapdoor he knew was hidden beneath it.
“What time is it?” Anders asked. “Why’d he come all the way out here?”
“Almost dawn, and I don’t know,” Jay said. “He’s not happy. Probably not a good time to test him, so get out of here.”
His uncle’s radio crackled.
“I’m here.” His dad’s voice rumbled loudly over the walkie. “Let me up.”
Anders took Jay’s advice, moving as quickly as he could around the shelves and piles of books. He halted when he reached the front door, heart thudding. His uncle’s radio crackled from the other end of the house again. Then a creak sounded—the trap door opening.
A short underground passage started somewhere outside the property, in the woods, and ran under the fence, dead-ending at the farmhouse. Only Jay, Anders, and his dad knew about the secret entrance, but only his dad knew how to find it, and only he had a key.
Why was his dad here? What could be serious enough to risk a visit?
His dad never told him anything. But this time he couldn’t stop Anders from listening in.
He couldn’t help himself. He dropped his backpack by the door and hurried back to the office. The old boards kept creaking, and he cringed every time he hit one. But Uncle Jay would be underground right now, letting his dad through the second door.
Anders made it back to the office and crouched outside, breathing fast. He peered through the wire shelf, glimpsing the room through the crack in the door. The rug had been rolled to the side, and the trapdoor gaped open.
Silence.
“… Penn’s.” His father’s deep voice drifted through the trapdoor. “… an off-grid girl. Anders needs to quit thinking with his dick.”
Oh, fuck.
Selene.
Anders took a quiet breath, his mind racing as Uncle Jay emerged from the hole in the floor. His father climbed out next, and Jay locked the trapdoor.
His dad wasn’t in uniform, and his usual composure was nowhere to be found. He was wearing jeans, a plaid shirt, and boots, a cap pulled down over his eyes. And he was moving too fast, like he always did when he was pissed and trying to tamp his anger down. Not good.
His dad strode to the table and slammed his duffle onto it as Jay finished unrolling the rug.
“Now what’s this about Penn’s and an off-grid girl?”
Anders’ father tore off his cap and ran a hand through his short blond hair and down his stubble. “Anders figured out a way to block the tracker on his bike. I haven’t been able to get a hold of him all night, and you didn’t answer your walkie, either. Was he here?”
“He isn’t allowed over here.” Jay said, his face revealing nothing.
Anders pressed closer to the shelf, listening, his heart rate picking up.
“So he didn’t happen to stop by with a bunch of electronic equipment from Penn’s?”
EvasiveJay shrugged and slid into his chair.
His father’s face twitched, but he said nothing, just unzipped his duffel bag. Oh, hell. His dad knew. He could see it on his face—he knew Jay was lying, yet said nothing. That meant he wanted something from Jay, and getting it was more important than calling out the lie. Right now. As soon as he had what he wanted…
“Headquarters called a few hours ago,” Anders’ father said, his voice rough. “Yesterday, the Coalition got a soft ping on some possible counterfeit bits scanned at Penn’s. I don’t know why the hell Headquarters is so interested in this, but Anders was with the girl who tried to use them. He lied to Penn, told him the feed was messed up and that I already knew. Then he paid for the girl’s stuff.”
Uncle Jay’s eyes widened slightly, and he shook his head, brows furrowing. “What do you need? We can’t let this escalate. Can’t have the Coalition pokin’ around here.”
Anders’ dad pulled his unnetworked holotab out of his bag. He set the clear square on the table and gestured to bring up the interface. An image hovered above the table, but he was blocking Anders’ view.
Uncle Jay leaned back in his chair, and it squeaked.
His dad gestured sharply. “Security footage from Penn’s. You ever seen this girl or the boy?”
Jay blinked but didn’t respond as the video played out. Anders could only see the outer edge of it, but he saw the top of his head and his backpack—then him opening the door and letting Selene and her brother pass.
Jay cursed softly under his breath. “Did Headquarters see this?”
“No.”
“Did you get rid of it?”
“Not yet. But I’ll do what I have to do.”
Jay stood and started pacing. He looked worried.
“Who’s the girl, Jay?”
Uncle Jay didn’t answer.
“Don’t try telling me you don’t know her.” His voice was calmer now.
Anders’ muscles tensed. His dad’s voice was calmer because he knew he’d riled Jay up. If Jay tried to sell-out Selene…
“I couldn’t risk searching the Central database,” his father continued. “But I checked my back-ups… No record of her face anywhere. She’s off the grid.”
Jay crossed his arms behind his back and shook his head. “One soft ping on counterfeit bits that weren’t even used? This will blow over.”
His father shook his head. “No. It won’t. I have to find out where those bits came from. Penn should have held that bitstorage card she used. I need it so we can run a trace on those bits.”
“Just delete the footage.” Uncle Jay shook his head. “Convince Penn there was a glitch in the feed yesterday.”
“This is from Headquarters. When they call, they want results. If I don’t get them something concrete on this today, I could have a national squad from Seattle coming down here.”
Uncle Jay’s eyes went wide, the color draining from his face.
Anders’ heart beat faster at the look on Jay’s face.
“Anders won’t answer his god damn radio. You gotta g
ive me somethin’, Jay.”
“You’ve got to tell Anders,” Jay said quietly. “Tell him everything. This can’t keep happening.”
Anders leaned into the shelf, straining to hear.
“Now is not the time—”
“When will it be time? He’s put all of us in danger. Again. Eventually, he’ll make a mistake you can’t erase. He can pull his own weight. He’s an adult.”
Jay’s words made Anders’ gut twist and his heart pound harder. What was he talking about?
His father grunted. “He’ll be an adult when he acts like one. I’ll decide what he needs to know and when.”
Uncle Jay murmured something, and his dad gave a terse reply.
Anders couldn’t hear what they said over the sound of his own heart. He tried to inch closer, but his movement pushed a book into the wall with a light thud.
Crap.
“…tell me who that girl is and where I can find her,” his father was saying, “and I’ll think on it. But Anders is going to—”
“Stop.” Uncle Jay held up a hand.
Anders didn’t breathe as Jay turned and looked right at the door.
His dad let out a growl and grabbed his walkie from the table.
Anders shut his eyes, grimacing.
His walkie beeped from his pack, and the sound carried all the way from the front door.
As the walkie’s beeping echoed down the hallway, Anders jumped to his feet to make a run for it. But he wasn’t fast enough.
His dad slammed through the door and grabbed Anders by the shirt, his light brown eyes blazing. He pulled Anders back into the office and kicked the door shut so he could slam him up against it.
Anders’ breath whooshed out of him on impact, and his dad stepped back, hands balled into fists.
Anders blanked his face and rubbed his chest. But he didn’t take his eyes off his dad.
“Thought you’d be smart enough to get home before I did.”
“We can’t all be as smart as you, Dad.”
“You sure aren’t. Tell me about that girl.” His voice rose. “What’s her name? How long have you been fucking her?”
“Why? You jealous?”
His dad looked at him with open disgust. “How much does she know about us?”
“Relax. I just met her yesterday.” Anders smirked. “All she knows is that the sheriff’s son helped her evade arrest.”
His dad’s eyes got a wild look to them, and he returned the smirk. Then he walloped Anders upside the head with an open hand.
It stung, and Anders ground his teeth, ear ringing. His father stared him down, daring him to strike back.
Anders’ face grew hot, and his muscles tensed. It’d been a long time since his dad did this, and Anders had hit back. It didn’t end well for either of them. Mostly it hadn’t ended well for Anders. But he was just as strong and just as tall as his dad now…
“Loras.” Uncle Jay’s voice cut through the tension, smooth as butter. He held up a scrap of paper with his handwriting on it.
Adrenaline shot through Anders, and his hands curled into fists. His father shoved him up against the door again, hard, and let him go.
He stalked over to the table and snatched the paper from Uncle Jay. “What do I need to know?”
“Has to be that family. But I’ve only met the grandmother. Goes by Lydia.”
Anders ground his teeth, his heart pounding. Is this what Uncle Jay did when he “worked” with his dad? Betray other off-gridders? The only person getting anywhere near Selene was going to be Anders.
Uncle Jay wouldn’t even look at Anders as he sold her out. “They don’t have an exemption, so you’ll have to decide how you want to handle that. Fiercely private.”
His father nodded. The redness in his face was fading. “Then they’re running from something. I need to know now: Did you have any part in erasing their IDs from Central?”
Jay shook his head. “Don’t know who erased them. Lydia found us. I traded her clothes before—that’s how I know she’s got two kids around that age.”
“Do I need to know about any other trades?”
“You need to make sure you don’t search their property.”
“Great.”
Anders swallowed back his anger at Jay’s betrayal and tried to sound calm. “What are you gonna do, Dad?”
“Clean up your mess before the Coalition gets here.” His father’s lips curled with disgust again. “You’re putting us all at risk when you pull this shit. You better be telling the truth. You meet her yesterday, or are you lying, like usual?”
Anders forced out a laugh. “Am I? I don’t know, Dad. You’re the expert on lying. Isn’t there something you and Jay wanna tell me?”
His Uncle and Dad exchanged a veiled glance. One he’d seen before. “What?”
“You sure you want to know?” His father asked.
Anders nodded.
His dad put his hat on. “When you were a baby, I let Jay hold you. He dropped you on your head. We’ve blamed ourselves ever since.”
Anders looked at the floor, willing himself not to punch the smug look off his dad’s face.
“Keep him here for a few hours,” his father muttered.
Uncle Jay started uncovering the trap door, and Anders sauntered over to the leather chair. He sank down into it and got comfortable.
“You’re gonna go to Selene’s house… That’s her name, by the way, and you’re going to do what, exactly?
His father ignored him as he shoved his holotab and walkie back in his duffel.
“She used bits, so if she’s an off-gridder, you have to arrest her. But if she doesn’t have an exemption, then she’s not really an off-gridder. Which means she’s illegally avoiding citizenship. Which means you’ll also have to arrest her. If you don’t, they’ll know you’re a corrupt cop. And no one can ever know that.”
His father glared at him in warning.
“But that’s not your worst problem.” Anders spoke evenly, his voice low. “Because if you bring Selene anywhere near that station, I’m gonna have to turn myself in, too.”
Jay froze beside the trap door, his face a mask.
His father smirked at him, but his eyes weren’t smiling. “You threatening us?”
“I helped her,” Anders said. “If Selene or Penn or any of the witnesses at Penn’s get questioned by the Coalition, they’ll out me. If you arrest Selene, then you’ll have to arrest me, too. But if you let me talk to her first—”
“No. You’ve already fucked up enough.” His dad slung his duffel over his shoulder.
Jay unlocked the trapdoor, but he stopped short of opening it.
“Open it,” his dad snapped. He pointed at Anders. “And make sure you keep that jackass away from me. I don’t care if he stays here for the next week.”
“You really think they’ll tell a cop anything?” Anders asked with a smirk. “Selene already trusts me. I can get her to give me that bitstorage card and tell me how she got the bits. The Coalition will have their lead, and this will all go away.”
“Jay, open the door,” his father barked. He didn’t look at Anders, but Uncle Jay was watching him intently. He was obviously listening. Considering it.
A thrill raced through Anders. “Let me clean up my own mess this time. And if it goes sideways… well, the whole town knows I’m your reckless fuck up of a son. Everyone will believe I acted alone.”
His father turned slightly but didn’t look at Anders. “You just don’t get it,” he said, his voice hard. “You’ve never acted alone. None of us has. If any of us goes down, and it will probably be you, what’s left of this family goes down, too.”
The last part of his statement dripped with insincerity, and Anders shook his head and stared his dad down. Uncle Jay was the blind one, believing all that bullshit about family.
The trapdoor opened with a creak.
“Uncle Jay. Dad.”
&nbs
p; They both looked at him, and he swallowed, trying to recall the words Jay had said to his father earlier.
“I’m sorry for putting this family in danger,” he said carefully. “I don’t want to be the one who brings us down… We’re all in this together, right? So we should all pull our own weight. Let me pull mine.”
“Anders,” Uncle Jay said roughly. “Give us a few minutes. And don’t lurk this time.”
Anders hesitated, looking from his dad’s stormy expression to his uncle’s. Uncle Jay would try to convince his dad to let Anders try. He could see it. He gave a slight nod and strode out the door, shutting it behind him. His chest felt strangely light as he walked down the hall and into the kitchen to grab a snack.
A jolt of energy bounced through him at the idea of seeing Selene again. If his dad wouldn’t agree, well… Anders had meant his threat, and if Dad wanted to test him, he could try.
Anders could hear the low rumble of their voices as Jay and his dad argued, but he couldn’t make out any words from here.
Anders waited.
He couldn’t let another innocent girl have her life ripped apart by his dad. This time he’d stop him. His thoughts drifted back to Lex. She was his best friend, and the only thing she’d done wrong was trust Anders. She made the stupid mistake of telling him the truth about herself: she was an undocumented Protected, with no disc to give her away. Her mother had taken a black market dose of the gene therapy, and when the camps were created, she’d told Lex they needed to run… to leave Telmont for good and go off the grid.
Anders had gone to his dad for help. He should have gone to Uncle Jay… but he hadn’t been allowed over there as much after his mother died. He still remembered the look on Lex’s face the day they came for her and took her out of school. She’d known he was the one who betrayed her.
Almost ten minutes passed before Jay showed up in the kitchen.
Anders hopped off the stool. “Well? Where’s my dad?”
“He’s gone.” EnigmaticJay leveled him with a look. “You made me a promise. I told you to leave.”
Anders narrowed his eyes, starting to get worried that his dad was on his way to Selene’s already. “And you taught me that loyalty matters. That privacy is important. Is that what you do when my dad comes over here… sell out other off-gridders?”
Defective (Fractured Era Book 1) Page 17
