Kill Switch (Rune Alexander Book 9)

by Laken Cane

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  She walked into the kitchen and took the cup Ellie held out to her, then sat down at the big table with the twins.

  Levi began tying his long hair back and she paused to watch him. He hadn’t put on a shirt and his scars stood out in sharp relief against the smoothness of his skin. The twins—identical but for their scars and especially the scar on Denim’s face—had put on some muscle since they’d joined Shiv Crew.

  They’d grown. Changed. Not just physically. They’d had the life kicked out of them by Karin Love, but still, they’d kept a part of their innocence, their sweetness, in a place she couldn’t touch.

  But Rune had touched it.

  Rune had destroyed it.

  She addicted them to her bite, as well, and it had saved all three of them. They’d forged a special bond and maybe it was just the wretched, bitter dreams she’d just left, but as she watched them, tears stung the backs of her eyes and her stomach began to hurt.

  She couldn’t lose the twins. Couldn’t.

  Why, then, did she feel she was about to?

  Levi saw her watching him and lowered his arms, ponytail secured. “Rune?”

  She looked from him to Denim. “I love you guys.”

  Denim narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “Spikemoss Mountain,” she murmured.

  The twins slid their hands across the table and she clutched them tightly. They didn’t move until Jack opened the back door and walked into the kitchen.

  “Going to be a long day,” he said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “It’s got that feel to it.”

  Rune nodded. “Yeah. It kinda does.”

  He joined them at the table just as Raze gave a perfunctory knock at the door then stomped into the kitchen, yawning hard enough to crack his jaws. “Damn early mornings,” he muttered, then headed for the coffee pot.

  Ellis bustled about, making enough breakfast to feed an army, and the kitchen was loud with the sounds of banging pans and sizzling bacon.

  “You two should move in here with the rest of us,” Rune said.

  “Big house,” Raze said, “but not that big.”

  Rune shrugged, then grinned. “I could add on.”

  “Talk to us again when you do,” he said, then gave another gigantic yawn.

  Aly was the next person through the kitchen doorway. “Good morning, everyone!” Her voice was as bright as her eyes. Usually, she made Rune cringe with her sweet loudness, but Kader loved her. And Rune trusted her.

  Therefore, Aly was allowed to be as bright and loud as she wanted.

  “She’s still asleep,” Ellis told her, smiling. “Will you have breakfast?”

  “I already ate,” Aly said. “I’m going to go wake our sleepyhead. We have a date with the park later. And…” She waggled her eyebrows at Ellie, then looked sideways at Rune. “Did you ask her?”

  Rune frowned. “Ask me what?”

  “Oh,” Ellis said, waving his hand. “That can wait until later. I have to finish breakfast and clean up before we take Kader out, so—”

  “Ellie,” Rune said. “Ask me what?”

  He sighed, then pursed his lips and sent Aly a sharp glare. “We were thinking…well, what it is, is…”

  “Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Aly exclaimed. “We want to get Kader a dog. We think it’d be a great idea to give the child a—”

  “No.”

  Aly’s smiled fell. “But—”

  “No.”

  Ellis patted Aly’s back. “Go take care of the baby.”

  Once Aly left the room, a little less bright, Ellis grinned at Rune. “You were mean.”

  “Nah, baby. But you know Kader can’t have a dog. She might…” But she couldn’t say what Kader might do to a helpless puppy. “Just not a good idea.” And that made her ache.

  Ellis walked from the stove to squeeze her shoulder, then leaned over to kiss the top of her head. When she looked at him askance, he smiled, but it was a little sad. “Sometimes I get a chill.”

  “I know exactly what you mean,” she told him.

  Levi watched, his gaze soft, as Ellis went back to the stove.

  Something thumped against the kitchen door.

  “I’ve got it,” Denim said, and strode across the floor.

  “What’s going on?” Roma asked, walking into the kitchen, her eyes still heavy with sleep. “Hi, Jack.”

  Denim opened the door, then stepped back to allow Grim to slink inside.

  “Grim,” Ellis called, waving a spatula. “I bet you want some breakfast too, don’t you, sweetie?”

  The big dog went to Rune and pushed his nose against her arm in greeting.

  She ran her hand over his smooth head. “Hey, Grim.” She looked at Ellis and smiled. “Kader already has a dog. Has Aly met him?”

  “Er, no. And I’m sure this is not the type of puppy she had in mind for the baby.”

  The early morning sent long, pale fingers of light through the windows, and Rune’s cell began to ring. For a brief second, she was tempted to throw the phone through the glass.

  She answered, instead. “This is Rune.”

  Ellie started loading down the table with food. “Tell whoever it is to let you eat your breakfast in peace.”

  “Rune, it’s Luciana.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I can’t find Jill.”

  “So maybe she took off. When I first met her she was standing around a trashcan fire in the city.”

  “No.” Luciana hesitated. “I think something happened to her.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. Just a gut feeling. She’s been acting strange since the monsters fell out of the sky.”

  Rune never dismissed gut feelings. “When did you last see her?”

  “She disappeared the same day you left. And she’s not answering her cell phone.”

  “I’ll see if I can find her.”

  “Thanks. And I’ll let you know if I hear from her.”

  Rune clicked off. “That was Luciana.” She drained her coffee cup, then reached for a biscuit. “Jill has gone missing, and Luc is worried something’s wrong.”

  “What can we do?” Jack asked.

  “I don’t know. Ask around, maybe. I have a photo of her on my phone. I’ll text it to you.” And after she texted them the image, she called Jill’s phone. She got no answer.

  “Ask Eugene to put someone on it,” Raze suggested, “if you’re really worried.”

  Rune nodded. “I’ll ask, but he wasn’t exactly happy when I told him we were going to be searching for Jett Ramsey. He’s not going to want to help with Jill.”

  She split open another biscuit and piled it high with eggs and bacon, then grabbed the cup Ellie had just refilled. She chased a huge bite with hot coffee. “God, this is good, Ellie,” she mumbled.

  “So ask Bill,” Roma said. “He’ll help with Ramsey, and he’ll help with Jill. He wants to be involved, Rune.”

  “How do you know, Roma?” Rune asked, then took another bite of biscuit.

  “I’m a sensitive person,” the girl said.

  That made them all laugh, which confused Roma.

  The crew showed their appreciation for Ellis’ cooking by wiping out every morsel of food during the next fifteen minutes.

  Finally, they pushed their chairs back and headed for the door.

  Before she walked out with the others, Rune turned back to Ellie. “Go on,” she told them. “I’ll meet you at the Annex.”

  “I’ll wait in the car,” Roma said.

  “What’s wrong?” Ellie asked.

  Rune helped him carry the empty plates to the dishwasher. “Bill and Eugene can visit Kader, Ellie. You’ll have to tone it down a little. I know you’re worried, but worry a little less aggressively, okay?”

  He shrugged, then grinned. “All right. I’ll try.”

  She handed him a plate. “Also…”

  Shit.

  He put the plate in the dishwasher and straightene
d to frown at her. “Rune?”

  She cleared her throat. “You have to be careful around Kader’s fangs, baby.”

  His expression cleared. “Oh. I know, Rune. I know.”

  “We have to guide her. Teach her not to bite. But how the fuck do we teach a baby not to sink her fangs into a person? It’s going to seem natural to her.”

  “She’s teething. I give her lots of things to chew on.” Ellis took the last plate from her and placed it on the countertop, then took her hands. “I am already teaching her. Don’t worry, honey. You’ll teach her how to fight. I will teach her manners.” He flashed her grin. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  Rune returned his smile. There would be danger, and mishaps, and a hell of a lot of mistakes, but they’d do the best they could do. And Kader would be just fine.

  Once again she headed for the door, and once again, she stopped.

  “Ellie, did Nikolai return?”

  He sobered. “Yes. I gave him a key. He’s in the panic room.”

  “I know it’s hard for you, having him here.”

  “It’s okay. For some reason, I’m not afraid of him. I don’t see him as a threat.” He frowned. “That’s weird, isn’t it?”

  “No,” she said. “You trust your gut, Ellis. If you start to worry, let me know. I’ll take care of it.”

  Ellis beamed. “I will.”

  “And Ellie…”

  “Yes?”

  “Maybe start wearing a few less silver chains. You’re going to hurt your neck.” She snickered.

  Ellis put his nose in the air and refused to answer.

  And finally, Rune went to work.

  Before she was halfway to the Annex, Ellis texted her a picture of the baby. The nurse had dressed her in an outfit that made Kader look like a banana with fat, rosy cheeks and a ton of black hair. Rune sighed and shook her head. “Pathetic.”

  “What?” Roma asked.

  Rune tossed her the phone. “The crap they put on that kid.”

  Roma peered at the image. “She’s cute, even dressed like that.”

  “Yup.”

  “How do you know she’s Z’s baby, Rune?”

  Rune frowned. “Why?”

  Roma gave her a nervous sidelong glance. “No reason.”

  “Why do I always have to drag shit out of you people? Why are you asking?”

  Roma cleared her throat, then crossed her arms. “I’m asking because she doesn’t look like Z.”

  Rune frowned. “Who does she look like?”

  “The berserker,” Roma murmured. “She looks like your berserker.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Imagine if you had babies. They’d be gorgeous.

  The little bite junkie’s prophetic words echoed in her mind.

  And didn’t a part of her rejoice at the thought of having a tiny little piece of the berserker forever?

  “No,” she whispered. “No.”

  Liar.

  Don’t think about it.

  Could it be?

  Yeah. Possibly.

  It wasn’t, though.

  Kader was Z’s.

  She knew the exact moment the baby had been created. Kader was Z’s. She was not the berserker’s.

  Couldn’t be.

  Shit.

  Without Z or Strad’s DNA, a paternity test would be out of the question. But she knew.

  The baby was Z’s.

  End of subject.

  “Shit,” she whispered.

  Her cell rang.

  “It’s Tasha,” Roma said, returning the phone. “You need to get a better ringtone on this phone, Rune.”

  As though she hadn’t just turned Rune’s world upside down.

  And Rune shoved it away. She’d worry about it later. She’d worry about it a lot. But right then…

  “Tasha,” she said. “Everything okay?”

  “I need to see you.” Then she began sobbing.

  “Sure. I’ll meet you. Where are you?”

  When she spoke again, her words were so thick with tears she was almost impossible to understand. “I’m home. My father is about to do something terrible, and there’s nothing he can do about it.” She took a deep breath. “There’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

  Rune’s heart began to beat a little faster. “Tell me.”

  “I can’t,” Tasha whispered. “It’s too much. Can you come here?”

  “Yeah,” Rune said, and made a U-turn in the middle of the street. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  “Hurry. You’re all in danger. He’s already killed.” Tasha hung up.

  “Roma, get Eugene and the crew on the phone. Tell them I’m going to Tasha’s house. I’ll bring her in. She saw her father, and she believes we’re all in danger.”

  It wasn’t just a side job about a missing person anymore, and once the Annex got involved, she’d be able to help the girl with the Annex at her back.

  “I can’t get Eugene on the call,” Roma said, “but I have all the crew on. Jack wants to meet us at Tasha’s house?”

  “Yes. Tell him—”

  But the radio crackled, and the Annex dispatcher began speaking quietly, but with a thread of urgency her steady voice couldn’t hide. “Mercy Hospital is under attack. Shiv crew, can you take it?”

  Roma hit the button to talk. “Cops there?”

  “Yes, but the attacker is Other. From the reports I’m getting, he seems invincible. They’ve shot him—he got up and walked away. Though “walked” is the wrong word.”

  “Why?”

  “They are saying he disappears and then appears somewhere else—across the room or farther down the hallway, like that.”

  “Teleportation,” Rune and Roma murmured at the same time.

  “He seems to be targeting certain individuals,” the dispatcher said. “He’s killed four doctors and two nurses at last report.”

  “How is he killing them?” Rune asked.

  The dispatcher hesitated. “They said he’s killing them by touching them.”

  Roma glanced at Rune, and waited for her nod. “We’re on our way,” she told the dispatcher.

  Mercy Hospital was almost in the middle of the city, and it’d take them twenty minutes to get there.

  Her phone rang again. “Son of a bitch,” she muttered. “Roma, put it on speaker.”

  “Rune,” Tasha cried, even before Rune had a chance to say hello. “Don’t let them hurt him, please don’t let them hurt him!”

  “Fuck,” Rune said. “Your dad is attacking the hospital.”

  “It’s not him,” Tasha replied. “He’s being forced to hurt those people.”

  “Forced.” Rune lifted an eyebrow.

  “I’m on my way there.” Tasha hung up.

  “What do you think?” Roma asked. “How could someone force an Other to kill?”

  “I don’t know.” She called Eugene’s phone twice more before he answered.

  “Rune, little busy here,” he said. “I’m dispatching ops to the hospital to help you control the Other. I’ve—”

  “It’s Tasha Ramsey’s father,” she interrupted. “Tasha’s on her way there. I’ll hold her. Send someone to pick her up. She shouldn’t be there.”

  “Yes, good. I’ll send someone immediately. I’ll need her for questioning. Rune, TV is there. This Other…”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m not sure you’re going to be able to take him.”

  She frowned. “I’ve been up against some bad motherfuckers, Eugene.”

  “Yes. Just be careful.”

  “Have the gargoyles meet me there.” With any luck, the Other terrorizing the hospital would kill them.

  “I’ve already sent them to the hospital.”

  She hung up. “Roma, my shotgun.”

  “In the back. I’ll get it when we stop. And I have my slingshot. We’ll bring him down, Rune.”

  But Rune had a bad feeling.

  A very bad feeling.

  The drive to the hospital
seemed to take forever, and even before they arrived, she could see, smell, and hear evidence of the attack.

  A helicopter hovered somewhere in the distance, and dozens of cop cars surrounded the place. Rune showed her badge to the cops stopping cars from going into the parking lot, but even then, she thought she was going to have to kick their asses to get by them.

  “More Others,” one of them growled. “Just what we need.”

  “Fuck you, too,” Rune said, and drove on to find a place to park in the overflowing lots.

  Once they left the car, Roma handed her the shotgun. Rune dropped the strap over her head, realizing only when it was there that she missed it when it wasn’t.

  She started to run toward the hospital when she heard Tasha arrive.

  The girl was hysterical, and the cop wasn’t about to let her through. Rune jogged to the girl’s car, Roma at her side. “I’ve got her,” she told the cop, then opened the car door. “Come with me, kid.”

  She turned to Roma. “Park the car, then catch up.”

  Roma nodded and climbed into the car.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” Rune told Tasha. “Someone is coming to take you to the Annex. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”

  “I’m not leaving.” Tasha twisted her wrist in Rune’s grip, trying to pull free. “I need to talk to him.”

  Roma hurried into the building after them, her slingshot up and ready.

  They heard shots and Rune instinctively pushed the girl behind her. “You can’t be here. It’s not safe. You’ll have a chance to talk to your father when I take him the fuck in. Now stay here until they come for you.” She shoved Tasha at a couple of security guards. “Hold her for the Annex. Cuff her if you need to.”

  Then she shot out her claws and ran toward the gunshots.

  “Jack,” Roma called. “There’s Jack.”

  Jack stood with a group of cops, and broke away as soon as he saw Rune and Roma. Rune automatically pulled the shotgun over her head and tossed it to him.

  “He’s gone, Rune,” he told her, dropping the strap over his head.

  “Gone? I just heard gunshots.”

  He shook his head. “He’s gone. I watched him run from the building, blood all over him. He was shot up, but it didn’t seem to hurt him. At least not enough to stop him.”

  “We need to question Tasha. She knows more than she’s telling us.”