He had never spoken about anyone like this to her, but regardless of Tobin’s skill, he was still acting alone. “Why is he so formidable?”
“If he were going by the book, I’d be able to anticipate his moves. He’s not. His responses are excessively strong; he’s not taking any chances. Take this afternoon, for example. I’m not sure how they detected the surveillance detail, but our team had them cornered. Suddenly, a fire broke out in a nearby field and attracted hundreds of emergency responders. I ordered the team to back off, but Tobin cut them off. They teleported from their car. When they returned, all four tires had been slashed and the windows were broken out. Leonora was gone.”
He rubbed his hand over his face and laughed bitterly. “I’ve thought about it over and over. Clearly, he’s no fan of Nios anymore, so why would he get involved in the first place? Why would he kill two Tavian guards and attempt to kill a surveillance team? He knows we’d send everything we have after him, not to mention the kind of death we’re going to inflict on him when we catch him. How could a Seer be worth all that? This is more than a mission for him.”
“He loves her,” Annabel said quietly. It shouldn’t have changed anything. Leonora was a Seer. She represented a direct threat to Annabel simply by living.
But it did.
Leonora was with someone who loved her, and he would do anything to keep her safe, including picking a fight with the entire Tavian Guard.
Annabel pulled her knees up and tucked them under her chin. She found herself wishing Leonora would be able to escape and be happy, even though she would never be that fortunate herself.
Jasper straightened and froze. Moments later, he sighed.
“What is it?” Annabel asked.
“A message. Adrian’s sending me everything they find on Leonora.”
She gripped the duvet. He couldn’t leave now. He’d promised to stay, and after years of shutting her out, he was finally opening up again.
The seconds ticked by, and he didn’t move.
Her shoulders slumped. He couldn’t pick his job over her tonight—even if he didn’t look at it that way. It would hurt too much.
“One phone call. I promise. Then I’ll let you sleep.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Just a phone call? You’re staying?”
“I thought that was what you wanted—”
“It is!” She nearly leaped from her bed to hug him. Maybe Jasper didn’t love her the way Tobin Kalos loved Leonora, but he was staying tonight, and that was enough.
“One minute,” he said kindly, then paused.
His tone completely changed when he spoke again. “I got your message… Yes, the same orders apply. I want every available team looking for her… I never expected them to still be in the immediate area, but that doesn’t mean we’re giving up.”
He bounced his knee. “They didn’t just disappear, Adrian. They had to have left a trail… What about the phone records? Were any calls made to cab companies?”
His voice lowered to a growl. “Try the surrounding businesses, then. Anywhere they would have gone after the fire broke out… I know we don’t have recordings of the conversations, but if we know which company they used, we may be able to figure out where they went.”
He lifted his chin in an exaggerated nod. “All right, I’m going to get some rest, but message me if they find her… Okay.”
Ending the call, he drew in a deep breath and whispered, “You look tired.”
He rose and pulled the duvet up so she could lay down. His fingers ran over her hair as he tucked her in, soothing her. She liked his touch way too much. He settled into his chair.
This is enough.
Her eyelids sagged.
“Go to sleep,” he whispered. “You’re safe.”
Her breathing slowed as warmth radiated around her, and she dropped into a deep and sound sleep.
Chapter 17
The next evening, Tobin did his best to monitor the bank of computers in front of him. It was important. Seeing the Tavians beforehand could give them precious extra time.
But his eyes kept wandering to Nora.
She sat on the balcony, a fiery sunset over the rocky horizon beyond her.
Pay attention!
He stretched his neck. His muscles felt much looser now that he had showered and eaten. They’d have felt even better if he’d gotten some sleep, but every time he’d tried, an image of Nora, her hands on his shoulders and her eyes warm, flashed in his mind.
His Nora was still there.
So far there were only glimpses, but he knew the way she smiled when he did something she liked, the way the light played off her eyes when she was happy, the love she could communicate in a single touch. He shivered.
Maybe if he moved slow, if he was patient and kind, if he could help her piece together as much of her past as possible, he’d stand a chance at winning her back.
He shook his head. That was a goal for another day. Right now, he needed to focus. He stared at the empty lobby on one of the screens. Occasionally, a small group would meander into view without any real direction or rush. He hated stakeouts for this reason.
He glanced at Nora again. She was curled up in one of the lounge chairs gazing over the mountains—wet hair, no makeup, yoga pants and a pullover. Natural. Exactly the way he loved to see her.
He ran a hand through his hair. He’d avoided her for most of the day, unsure of what to say or how to act, but he needed to be close to her again. He could see the computer screens through the window, and she had to have questions. Maybe he could help her start to put everything back into place.
He wandered to the balcony. Pink and orange twilight lit up her face as she took a sip from a black bottle.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked.
She rocked forward in her seat and pulled the chair next to her closer. “Not at all!”
He needed to be calm, patient. Her world had ended twice, once when she had been exiled and then again when Charlotte and Henry had taken her back. He was here to help her fill in the blanks, keep her safe, and then maybe at some point when this was all over, he could try again.
That could take forever.
He took a surreptitious breath. Even if it took forever, that’s what he’d do. He pointed to the remaining bottles from the six-pack sitting underneath her. “May I have one of those?”
Smiling, she reached for a bottle and held it out in his direction. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I suppose,” he muttered.
Nora laughed. “You suppose? This is amazing.”
Tobin shrugged and took a sip before reading the label. Complex, rich notes of molasses swirled in his mouth. “You like this?”
“Yeah.” She laughed a bit. “It was showcased in a craft beer course I took in Minnesota.”
He raised his eyebrows. Was it possible to be even more attracted to her now? “You took a course on beer?”
She nodded sheepishly. “Is that weird?”
“Weird? I’m impressed!” He beamed.
She looked away and smiled, tucking a strand of her wet hair behind her ear and sucked down another sip. “Charlotte knocked it out of the park with this resort.”
His muscles tightened. None of this would have been needed if Charlotte hadn’t exiled Nora in the first place. “It’s not surprising. When she’s not playing judge, jury and executioner on the council, her main job is hospitality.”
Nora forced out a short laugh. “Nios is certainly a strange place.”
It was. He took a swig, savoring the hint of mesquite. “I’m sure you have questions. Ask away.”
She smiled. “Really? Okay.” Her eyes scanned the floor in front of her. “If Nios and Octavius are so great, why hide?”
It was an answer every Niotian knew, but Nora’s eyes were blank.
Patience.
“That was the main point of the peace treaty that the Tavians insisted on after the war. The Enlightened Society had always intended to share t
heir research with the world, but when they discovered how to harness matter in the 1930s, Hitler was rising to power. That kind of discovery in his hands would have been catastrophic, so no one knew what to do.”
“Different groups had different proposals, but eventually the society broke into two major factions. The Niotians wanted to remain part of human society but hide the advances until it was safer to release them. The Tavians wanted to use the advances to oust Hitler and establish a ruling class over humanity. They insist it would have been for world peace, but we all know they wanted the power. In the end there was only one compromise: we completely withdraw, live in the hidden cities we created during the war to keep us safe from the other side, and hide all of our advances. In return, the Tavians have to abide by the same rules and can’t create a ruling class over the rest of the world.”
She nodded, staring off into the sunset. “When you explain Nios like that, they almost sound like decent people.”
Tobin shrugged. “Some are decent enough. Nios is the last line of defense for a world that doesn’t even know it’s in danger.”
She peeled a piece of the label off the side of the bottle. “What about you? What did you do in Nios?”
He shifted in his chair. He didn’t want to talk about himself. “I was a guard.”
“What did that entail?”
He shrugged. “Mainly security for the district and training new guards.”
If she stared any harder at the bottle in her hands, it might crack.
“And I was a Seer.”
He nodded. “Your family were cyber engineers like Henry. Your parents had lost their other children in the war, and even though they were old, they wanted to do their part to replenish the ranks of engineers. Imagine everyone’s surprise when you developed into a Seer.”
She shook her head. “It seems so weird. I can’t picture any of this.”
He balled his fists, trying to stop the urge to reach out and hold her. “You never got used to it.”
She picked at the label again. “And…”
“What is it?” he asked as casually as he could.
Her mouth opened, then shut without a word.
“You can ask me anything.”
She drew in a deep breath. Her gaze settled squarely on him. “What about us?”
He jumped as if she had zapped him with a cattle prod. “What?”
“Us,” she repeated, dropping her gaze to her feet. “What did we used to be?”
The words hung in the air. What they used to be was long gone; she didn’t need to worry about that.
“None of that matters now,” he replied in an uneven voice.
“It matters to me.” Her words weren’t angry. They sounded wounded, and she wouldn’t look at him. “Please. I need to know why you’re so angry. Why you keep your distance from me most of the time, but if there’s danger you’re right by my side.”
“I’m trying to protect you from Tavians. It’s not exactly easy work.” He ran a hand through his hair. She’d been paying far closer attention than he’d thought.
“I know. And you do it well.” She paused, glancing up at him. “But I can’t help but wonder if there was more.”
He stared at her, speechless. What was he supposed to say? We were married. I’m still in love with you. My first thought when I stepped into this suite was that we never got a honeymoon, but I’d love to bring you back here if we ever get the chance?
No pressure there.
“I can’t.”
“Please, Tobin. I need to know.”
He sprang from his chair and faced her. “No, you don’t understand. It’s not something I can just say. I don’t know how to tell you—”
A black mass moved into view on one of the monitors behind her. Quick, methodical movements. Six people. White hair—except one. The blood drained from his head.
“Nora…”
She rubbed her forehead. “I know Charlotte and Henry are here, but can’t they give us a minute? There’s never going to be a good time to talk about this.”
Charlotte. Henry. He ran inside. “Everybody up. We need to move!” He grabbed the rope and pulse gun from his sack.
Charlotte opened her door, yawning. “We need to move for what?”
“Them.” Tobin pointed at the monitors before running back to the balcony.
Nora had backed up to the railing, her gaze glued to the screens inside.
“Get down to the kitchen. It’s by the banquet halls. There’s a service entrance there,” Tobin said to her. “Run toward the first tree line on the slopes as fast as you can, and hide until you see Henry or me. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
Jasper and another Tavian went down one hall, two others took the stairs, two took the elevator. Evading them wouldn’t be easy. “Charlotte! Henry!”
They rushed to the center of the room.
“Run toward the staircases at the ends of the hall. Get as far as you can before teleporting. The closer you are to Nora, the better chance they’ll have of pinpointing our position. Henry, take the sack and meet us at the ATVs. Make sure you’re not followed.”
They nodded and ran out the door.
Tobin leaned over the railing, searching in both directions. Clear. He knotted one loop, then another in the rope. “You’re going downstairs a little differently.”
She glanced over the railing. “Tobin.”
He threw the makeshift harness over her and tugged at the knots. They’d hold. He popped up to check the camera feeds. A minute at most was all they’d have.
“Tobin.”
“All right, going down.” He wrapped the end of the rope around the balcony railing before he grabbed her with the other arm and swung her over.
Her arms and legs flailed as a garbled scream escaped her throat. “Please, no! There has to be another way!”
Still holding her tight, he pulled her close, his mouth next to her ear. “You have to know by now I would never let anything happen to you. Stick to the plan. I’ll be right behind you.”
She shut her eyes, nodded, and let go of him.
“Time to go,” he said before lowering her through the air. She landed gently on the second-floor banquet hall veranda.
Safe for now.
He rolled his neck as he watched the pairs get closer—slowly, methodically. They were setting a trap, but he’d set one of his own. He sized them up. Jasper was just as he remembered. Lean, agile. His eyes swept back and forth. His partner, whose white hair was pulled back in a bun, was tall and muscular. His holster was on his left leg.
Left handed.
Something glinted from his right side—a knife. Of course. Jasper’s partner was ambidextrous. Tobin would need to take them both out before he could engage the other pairs.
The whole team moved in unison, closing in at the same speed even though they were separated. Not that he expected anything less from Jasper. They had blocked every escape route. By the time he would have detected them, it would have been impossible to escape. He’d have to buy Henry a candy bar for the surveillance idea.
He watched as Henry got to one end of the hall before he disappeared in a flash. Charlotte ran down to the other end and yanked the door to the stairwell open.
No.
Tobin flew to the screens. The pair of Tavians a few flights below her froze and drew their guns, then the entire team did the same—another sign of their heavy coordination.
Tobin watched in horror. He had said she should get as far away as possible, but he’d meant to the end of the hall. They could detect her implant. She’d never make it.
She took two steps at a time, descending the floors faster than the elevator.
Charlotte, teleport out.
One flight, then another.
The Tavians took aim at the landing above them. She’d be there in seconds.
He gripped the desk and glanced at the door. He’d never make it to the stairwell in time. Her only hope was to teleport.
Using the railing, she flung herself around the corner on the landing above the Tavians before lurching to a halt.
Too late. White light rippled from their weapons. She tried to dive out of view, but a pulse blasted through her shoulder.
Tobin dropped his head into his hands. She squirmed on the ground as blood poured out of the wound. The Tavians bounded up the stairs toward her, but at the last second she teleported away.
The only thing that could save her now was Niotian medicine. Tobin could only hope she’d been able to pull up coordinates close enough to the medical facility to get treatment in time.
He blinked, pushing Charlotte from his mind. She’d run down the stairs to get away from Nora. She’d wanted to keep her safe. Charlotte might die, but Tobin would make sure it wasn’t in vain.
He searched the camera feeds for Nora. Several of the banquet halls were full of people, and he combed through the faces in the crowd until a figure zipped through the reception area. Blond hair. Petite frame.
Tobin’s shoulders relaxed. She’d made it. It was a straight shot from the ballrooms to the kitchen, and it was getting dark. She could disappear into the shadows easily enough once she got outside.
With her safe, he could focus on Jasper, who was climbing the stairs a little faster now. Tobin searched for a camera view from right outside the suite door. If he could gauge Jasper’s approach to the suite, he could probably surprise him and get a clean shot. His team would be a lot less organized without their leader.
Jasper’s partner grabbed his shoulder and muttered something. They stopped. The other pairs stopped, too. Jasper frowned and said something to his partner, who shook his head.
Something was off. Tobin leaned forward, watching for the slightest movement.
Jasper’s face contorted into a scowl, and he yelled. The entire team reversed direction and sprinted downstairs.
The Seers Page 14
