Even if this was the very last thing he did, he would save her. He grasped the chair in one hand, and his foot slid forward.
Ellyssa’s arms flailed wildly, trying to gain purchase on Xaver, scratching at his face, his eyes, but he eluded her attempts, his fingers forever digging deeper. Dots of light swam at the corners of her vision.
On the verge of passing out, blackness closed around her vision, her struggle weakening, her oxygen gone. Dimly, she heard a loud crack, and chunks of debris rained down on her. Xaver’s fingers relaxed, and he collapsed on his side.
Sweet air rushed into Ellyssa’s lungs. Wheezing, she readied herself for another attack.
Rein stood over her, two pieces of a chair back clutched in his hands. He wavered, then stumbled, dropping the remains of the chair. Red light flickered across his face, darkening his bruises.
She scrambled to her feet and caught Rein in her arms, supporting him. He leaned against her.
“Can you make it?”
Rein nodded.
“One second,” Ellyssa said as she pulled Rein over to where her father lay. Careful to avoid the blood that had spread across the doctor’s chest, Ellyssa reached into his side pocket and pulled out the access card to the elevators.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay,” Rein mumbled, his voice drawn and weak.
Ellyssa pulled Rein along, half-jogging, half-walking, out the door and toward where the elevator loomed at the south end, an unreachable goal. She glanced at her watch. The face was broken, the LED display black. She wondered how much time they had left.
She quickened her pace, dragging Rein beside her. She knew pain slowed his movements, and when they reached safety she’d kiss every inch of him. Right now, though, she had to keep him going. Gripping his hand tighter, Ellyssa jerked him along behind her and took off in a light sprint, hoping the elevator car waited on this floor.
The signature from a familiar mind touched hers.
Ellyssa slipped into the hall closest to the exit as the elevator doors slid open. Ahron sprinted out. As he passed her, she swung out her arm and clotheslined him. His head whipped back and he landed on his backside.
Shoving Rein into the main hall, she yelled, “Go!”
Without looking, Rein stumbled toward the elevator. Ahron recovered quickly and flipped over onto his hands and knees. Before he could rise to his feet, Ellyssa kicked him in the side. His ribs crunched, and he went down again.
She took off and slipped inside just as the elevator doors snicked shut. Her heart thumping against her chest, she slid the card through the reader, then jabbed the fourth floor button, over and over, until the elevator began its ascent.
Breathing out relieved air, Ellyssa turned toward Rein. He pulled her into his arms.
44
As Rein held her, stroking her hair, time crawled along. Ellyssa could feel the seconds ticking away, galloping into minutes. As soon as the elevator bumped to a stop, Ellyssa pulled away from Rein.
“How are we getting out?” he asked.
“Answers later,” she answered, yanking him through the parting doors into her father’s office.
Ellyssa zigzagged around the doctor’s desk and toward a large room that normally held her father’s secretarial support staff. Desks and chairs sat neatly lined along together to the back of the room, where Lake Michigan could be viewed beyond the grounds behind The Center. She sprinted past the row of desks and down the length of the large glass panes, peering toward the ground until she found what she was looking for.
“Wait here,” she said, dropping Rein’s hand.
She picked up a desk chair and swung it like a battering ram. The window cracked. She swung again and again, screaming in frustration each time the window failed to break.
“Move,” Rein said from behind.
He picked up another chair and launched it at the window. Shards of glass flew into the darkness as a cool breeze from the lake pricked Ellyssa’s skin. Sirens from emergency vehicles pierced the night. Edging forward, Ellyssa looked down. No one stirred below. As expected, all the workers were at the front of the building lined in rows for easy accountability.
“This is it,” she said.
“We’re jumping?” he asked.
“Dynamite,” she answered, grabbing his hand. Without a word of warning, she flung herself out into the air.
With all the boxes and bundles of paper that occupied the dumpster, Ellyssa had expected the landing to be softer. Instead, the impact had jarred her teeth and rattled her bones. She lay stunned for a moment, breathless. Then, she realized Rein’s hand wasn’t in hers. She panicked and fought to get upright. The cardboard worked against her, like quicksand pulling her down.
“Rein.”
He groaned.
“Are you all right?”
His head poked out from the debris. A piece of paper stuck in his dark hair. “Compared to what?”
She released a sigh of relief as she struggled against the debris and went to him. “Can you move?”
“I think so.”
Those were the only words she needed to hear. Ellyssa grabbed him by the shirt. “Come on,” she said, her words labored. Staggering through the trash, they clambered over the boxes to the side of the trash bin.
Rein flipped over the edge onto the grounds behind The Center and she followed. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Ellyssa grasped Rein’s hand and they were on the run.
A deafening explosion rocked the ground, followed by another. Warm air rushed past them and lifted Ellyssa off her feet. Rein’s hand was ripped from her grip.
Landing in the dumpster had been like falling into cotton balls compared to the hard ground Ellyssa found herself tumbling across an instant later. Flashes of greens and browns whirled by at dizzying speed. After one last spin, Ellyssa stopped on her back.
The breath was knocked out of her, and for a few agonizing seconds her lungs refused to expand. Every inch of her skin burned. Gasping, she lay still until the last of the explosions died away. Dust billowed above her and little pieces of debris had started to land around her. Gingerly, she assessed the damage, moving toes and fingers, then legs and arms. Every muscle shrieked protests, but nothing seemed broken.
She turned her head, looking for Rein. He lay a meter beyond her. He was also on his back, and he was moving and groaning. She felt elated.
He turned his head toward her, his eyes searching for her too. He smiled when his gaze met hers.
She rolled to her stomach and crawled over to him.
“Can you get up?”
“If I lived through that, surely I can stand.”
She brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. He winced, and she pulled back.
“Don’t,” he said, capturing her hand. “Never stop touching me.” He kissed the tips of her fingers.
At the touch of his lips, a pleasant current traveled through her. Grinning—it even hurt to grin—she closed her eyes. “I promise.”
Rein gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Good.” He exhaled and made a face. “Do I look as bad as I feel?”
Ellyssa chewed on her bottom lip and nodded.
“My hair hurts. I never knew someone’s hair could hurt.”
She laughed. It felt good. Painful, but good. To think, in her previous life, something like that would’ve been locked away inside her, never to be fully experienced.
The corners of Rein’s mouth curled upward. His lips looked delicious. Ellyssa leaned over and kissed him. His mouth opened to hers, and she tasted him as electricity found home in her veins. She wanted to stay with her lips locked on his, but she pulled away.
“We have to go,” she said turning toward the building.
Woody had done an awesome job placing the explosives as directed. The Center had collapsed inward. There was nothing left but a pile of twisted metal and charred bricks. Her father’s work had been destroyed.
“I know,” he said, stroking her cheek.
Relu
ctant to find what lay ahead for them, Ellyssa pulled herself onto her feet. Without her aid, Rein stood up; the aftereffects of Aalexis’ torture must’ve diminished under the flood of adrenaline.
“Let’s go home,” Rein said.
Ellyssa inwardly cringed at the mention of home. At the time, Rein must not have comprehended what her father had said about their home in Missouri. She didn’t have the heart to tell him yet. He’d been through so much.
Without saying anything, she took his hand, and together, they limped farther away from the burning building toward the chain-link fence that surrounded the property. From there, they sidled along the fence until they reached the front. Rows and rows of workers stared straight ahead at the blaze. Flashing lights from the emergency vehicles doused them in red and blue.
Staying close to the fence, away from the lights and people, they made their way to the sign at the entrance. Ellyssa turned around and watched the reddish-orange glow. Hungry flames flicked through the debris, trying to consume all that was left.
“Do you think this is why Jeremy reached out to me?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not over,” she said.
“I know. But together, we can make it though whatever awaits us.”
With Rein’s hand in hers, she turned and walked away from the burning remnants of her old life, in search of Woody.
EPILOGUE
Aalexis walked around piles of bricks and plaster and twisted metal with Xaver at her side. She held his hand, which was strange. Contact with each other had always been forbidden, but his touch was… comforting.
The elevator shaft lay ahead of them, their only escape route. She hoped the cables would support their weight so they could climb to safety.
Extraordinary. The unfolding of events that had brought them into the hallway with loosely hanging lights and crumpled walls.
Before, when she had first opened her eyes after Ellyssa had knocked her out, she’d had no idea where she was. Bright red light reflected off a white ceiling, and an ache throbbed in the back of her skull. She’d turned her head and seen someone else stir. It’d taken her a moment to recognize her brother.
“Xaver,” she’d called. “I need you.”
He had responded right away and was at her side.
Then, the first explosion shattered from above. The sound had been deafening. The room had quaked and pieces of ceiling had rained down on them.
Xaver’s eyes had widened, an unfamiliar expression to the both of them, then he’d covered Aalexis with his body. Even after their father’s death, he had obeyed his orders to protect her at all costs.
After all, she was the superior one.
She was the most powerful.
Safe inside Xaver’s shield, she had watched as everything her father had worked for crashed down around them as explosion after explosion rocked the building. Then, Ahron had burst through the debris and into the room, flickering in and out of existence. Unfortunately, Ahron couldn’t maintain the strength of his gift. The last explosion had ripped his body apart as shrapnel tore through him.
Aalexis and Xaver had remained protected inside his impenetrable shield.
When the last explosion had faded away, she’d tried to leave, but he’d held her in place.
“Wait,” he’d warned.
Even after things had quieted down, bits of plaster and ceiling fell randomly and without warning. The building had to settle before they could safely venture out.
Her brother had saved her life again.
They finally reached the mangled shaft. The elevator lay crumpled below, in a pile of junk. Chunks of wood and metal dangled dangerously from above, but so did the cables. She could hear the crackle of fire.
Xaver grabbed one and yanked hard. The cable held fast.
She looked at the thick bundle, and then at her brother. “Will we survive?”
“I will protect you.” He handed her the cable. “You ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
With vengeance on her mind, she crawled out from the tomb her sister had tried to bury them in.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
There are so many people who I would like to thank for helping me as I plucked away on Perfection. If I could only express my appreciation to each of you for all you have done to see me through.
I’d like to start with my awesome beta readers: J.A. Souders, Willow Cross, LM Preston, Bethany Ray-Goodman, Roza kat Marie, Kristie Cook, and Charlie, and a special acknowledgement to Gina Panettieri. Thank you all for pointing out stupidity and helping me shape Perfection into what it is today.
A truckload of gratitude and virtual cupcakes to my agent, Lauren Hammond. If you hadn’t taken a chance on me, then Perfection would probably still be a file on my memory stick, taunting me. I owe you so much.
Thank you to the wonderful, not to mention awe-inspiring, people at Spencer Hill Press. None of this would have happened without you. To Kate Kaynak, for seeing in Perfection what I could see. You are wonderful, and I can’t even begin to thank you enough. And to Vikki Ciaffonec katz, for not only holding my hand, but turning on a flood light so that I could avoid bumping into walls. You just rock. I owe everyone at SHP, including Rich Storrs and Alex Bennett, a standing ovation and a jet-full of thanks.
And a huge thanks to my extremely creative daughter who played the brainstorming game with me, my two super-intelligent sons for believing in me, and to my granddaughter who is just so awesome words can’t even describe. None of you thought I was just wasting my time, which is just cool. You four are my pillars.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Trista Semmel
Judy lives in Texas, where she wanders out in the middle of the night to look at the big and bright stars. Besides knocking imaginary bad guys in the head with a keyboard, she enjoys being swept away between the pages of a book, running amuck inside in her own head, pretending she is into running, and hanging out with her kids, who are way too cool for her.
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