Dave seemed suspicious. “But you work for Owens.”
“He thinks we do, but we’re actually working undercover,” Kendrick explained. “I can’t go into everything right now. Basically, Darius and I used to be in a special forces unit for the army. On our last mission, we overheard our general talking to a scientist from GlobalLife Genetics about a project to reprogram the human gene code. He called it Operation Elite, some worldwide effort to create a superhuman race. Our general was one of the elite, chosen few.”
“We couldn’t believe what we were hearing,” Darius added. “And we didn’t know how much of the military was involved in this. After that, we didn’t trust our general or any other superior officers. We didn’t know who we could trust.”
“How did you get hooked up with the rebel group?” Jack asked.
Kendrick answered. “I had an old buddy from high school who works in genetic research. I told him what I’d heard. It turns out he already knew about the project and was working with some other scientists to stop it. And that’s when Darius and I joined the cause. My friend told me about Owens’ involvement. So we approached Owens and offered to work security for him so we could keep an eye on him. He always hires ex-military and we both have an excellent record and recommendations.”
Darius checked his watch. “We can’t stay in here much longer. An alarm sends a signal to Owens if the room senses people in here for more than 10 minutes at a time. He’ll think we’re in here because of an attack. So if you ever use this room to talk, always watch the time. There’s a clock right over there.” He pointed to a digital monitor on the wall that had the time blinking in red. “If time’s up, leave the room then go back in. When you shut the door, the timer will be reset.”
“So we can’t talk unless we’re in this room?” Brittany asked.
“For now. But later this afternoon, I’m expecting delivery of a device that will disable the recorders in a single room. I haven’t tried it yet, but Rachel assured me that it works.”
“You know Rachel?” I asked Kendrick.
“Yes. And she knows that you’re here. Owens told her. We can tell you more later.” Kendrick turned to Jack and Dave. “Abigail Graceland, a scientist from the rebel group, will be here shortly to talk with both of you about next steps.”
“Don’t the outside cameras record people coming and going?” Erik asked.
“Yes,” Darius answered, “but Kendrick and I are in charge of monitoring those. And we erase the files every night. Owens doesn’t see them unless we send them to him.” Darius checked the clock. “Okay, let’s get out of here. I need to contact Owens. He wants confirmation that everyone made it here.”
We left the safe room and noticed a woman on one of the monitors. She was waiting at the back door. Darius went up to get her, then brought her downstairs. Neither one of them made a sound.
The woman was in her mid-fifties with short, stylish brown hair and glasses. She was petite and nice-looking, enough so that she caught Dave’s eye. She noticed Dave staring and smiled at him as she walked into the safe room. Jack and Dave followed, shutting the door behind them.
Kendrick was already calling Owens, bringing his image up on one of the monitors. “Everyone’s here, boss.” He moved so Owens could see Erik and me. “Samantha and Erik are safe and I’ve already showed them around.”
“Good. Put Dave on. I want to update him on the files.”
“Sorry, sir, but he wasn’t feeling well,” Darius said, lying without giving it a thought. “He’s in the bathroom.”
“I see. Well, get Jack then.”
“He’s unpacking upstairs,” Darius lied again. “It’ll take a few minutes for me to get him.”
“Oh, never mind. I’ll talk to them later.”
We disconnected with Owens and waited for Jack, Dave, and Abigail to leave the safe room. Dave came out first. He handed me a note saying they were leaving for a few hours and not to ask questions.
The rest of us went upstairs to unpack. A few hours later, the package we were expecting arrived. Inside was a pen. At least it looked like a pen. But it was actually the device that disabled the microphones in a room. Kendrick took the device upstairs to try it out while Darius listened for any sound from the recorders. It actually worked. Darius could still hear all the other rooms in the house, just not the side bedroom where Kendrick had the device. It was exactly what we needed. If Owens was listening in, he would hear everyday sounds in the house, but we could keep him from hearing our secret conversations. And we wouldn’t have to use the safe room.
Brittany immediately took the device to the room she was staying in so we could talk.
“I hardly got any time with you on the plane, Brittany. Erik totally monopolized you.”
“Yeah. I really missed him.”
“Hey! What about me?”
She smiled. “Yeah, you, too. All of you.”
Brittany had cleaned herself up and I could now see the bruises on her face and body. “I know it might be too soon, but do you want to talk about what happened?”
“Not really. It’s over. I don’t want to think about it anymore. And besides, I already told Erik everything.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. He’s easy to talk to. I feel like I can tell him anything.”
“You can tell me anything.”
“But you’re always judging me, Sam. Erik doesn’t do that.”
I didn’t argue with her because I did tend to judge her, sometimes without even being aware of it. “I don’t mean to judge you, Brittany. I want you to be able to tell me stuff.”
“I do tell you stuff. But sometimes I’m more comfortable with Erik. He reminds me of home. I may not have been friends with him growing up, but I knew him. And Jack. So they kind of feel more like family to me.”
“But Brittany, I’m family. And Dave is—”
“I know. But I just met you guys. I’m not trying to be mean. I just need you to understand that sometimes it’s easier for me to talk to Erik.”
“So are you still trying to make Erik more than just a friend?”
“No. I don’t care anymore about dating him. I mean, he’s super hot, so it’s not like I’d turn him down. But I want to try just being friends with him. I’ve never been friends with a guy. Ever.”
“You said you dated a ton of guys, Brittany. And you didn’t consider any of them to be your friend?”
“There you go again. Judging me. You can’t help yourself, Sam. I know you still see me as just some dumb, slutty cheerleader.”
“No, that’s not true, Brittany. Sorry. I’ve gotta work on that whole judging thing.”
“I had a lot of time to think about stuff when I was stuck at GlobalLife. And I decided that when I got out of there, I wouldn’t be like I was before.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to do something with my life, Sam. Learn stuff. Get a real job. I didn’t think I could before, but now I’m thinking maybe I can.” She laughed. “Maybe meeting you and finding out that my real parents are smart makes me think that I’m not so dumb after all.”
“Brittany, you’re not dumb. You never were. Whoever told you that was wrong.”
“Well, I’m not saying I’ll be some fancy scientist like you, but I’m going to be something.” She went over and looked out the window. “So it must be weird for you to have Colin gone.”
Hearing her say that Colin was gone suddenly made it more real. “I still can’t believe it, Brittany. Colin told me yesterday that he was leaving, but I didn’t think it would really happen.”
She came over and plopped down on the bed, putting her feet up. “Sorry, Sam. I know you really liked him. I liked him, too. He’s super nice. And really hot. Not as hot as Erik, but Erik’s in a whole different category.”
“Colin’s my best friend, Brittany. And I don’t just like him. I love him. And that used to scare me. I didn’t think I was ready for that, so I kept telling myself that my feelings weren�
�t real. But they are real. I really do love him. And now it’s too late. He’s gone.”
“Sam, remember when we were in California and Colin and I were hanging out while you and Erik practiced your mind reading or whatever? Colin went on and on about you. How great you are. How much he loved you. All that stuff. It was kind of annoying.”
“Why are you telling me this? To make me feel even worse?”
“Because he also said that he didn’t think you were happy with him. That no matter what he did, it was never enough. Just watching the two of you, I could see that he was right. I’m not really surprised that he left, Sam. If I were him, I would have left a long time ago.”
“Thanks a lot, Brittany. Way to make me feel better.”
“I’m your sister. I’m not gonna tell you what you want to hear. I’m telling you what you need to hear. I don’t know you that well, Sam, but I know that you had it pretty easy growing up. You didn’t have to work that hard for stuff, so you took things for granted. Like what you had going with Colin.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yeah, it is. I know because I’ve had to fight for everything in my life, Sam. I couldn’t count on anyone but myself. That’s why I don’t sit around waiting for stuff to happen. If I want something, I go get it. Like if I were you and I wanted Colin to stay, he would’ve never got on that plane today.”
“I tried! There was nothing I could do!”
Brittany shook her head. “What you consider trying is pathetic. I mean, what did you do? Just ask him to stay? That’s not trying. You should have told him the ten million reasons why you wanted him to stay. Told him that you and Erik are over.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered. Colin was leaving no matter what I said.”
“You don’t know that! If you want something, you have to take risks. Put yourself out there and not be afraid of what might happen. When I was stuck at GlobalLife, I wasn’t sitting there waiting to be rescued. I told myself I was getting out of there no matter what. I had no doubts. I didn’t care what I had to do. That’s why we’re different. I take risks. You play it safe.”
As she talked, Colin’s words kept replaying in my head. The words I’d heard in his mind as we left the airport. How I hadn’t fought for him.
I looked at Brittany. “This is really happening, isn’t it? Colin’s leaving for Minnesota in a few hours. I’ll never see him again.”
“Uh, yeah, Sam. Are you just realizing this?”
I shot up from the chair I was sitting in. “I have to go.”
Brittany looked confused. “Go where?”
I raced into the living room and noticed a set of keys sitting on the end table. I grabbed them and looked outside at the black car parked in the driveway.
“What are you doing?” Brittany whispered, following me.
I grabbed her sleeve and pulled her back into the bedroom. “I’m leaving. I’m taking the car and I’m going to get Colin.”
“Are you insane?” Brittany tried to keep her voice down. “You could get caught! GlobalLife could take you again.”
“Now you sound like me. What was that whole speech you just gave me? You told me to take risks. I’m taking a risk.”
“I wasn’t telling you to do this!”
“Cover for me. Stay in here and close the door. If Erik comes by or one of those guys downstairs, just tell them we’re talking in here.”
“What if they see that the car is gone?”
“I don’t know. Figure something out.” I gave Brittany a quick hug.
“Okay, I’ll cover for you. But you better make it back!”
I raced out to the car. As soon as I drove off, I felt a rush of adrenaline just thinking about my plan. It was crazy! Completely crazy! And unlike anything I’d ever done. Not obeying orders. Not listening to my fears. Just going with what I knew was right. I didn’t care if Colin turned me down. I had to try harder. I couldn’t give up so easily.
As I drove, I considered what to say to him. Nothing sounded right in my head. I would just have to speak from the heart. I had no plans to convince him to be my boyfriend again. I only needed him to stay and be safe. And to give our friendship another chance.
I was on the interstate, almost at the airport exit, when I heard blaring sirens. I glanced in the rear view mirror and saw a state trooper right behind me, his bright red flashing lights signaling me to stop. I’d been so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t realize I was going 80 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Airport
“No! Please! Not now!” I said aloud to myself. I’d never been stopped for speeding before. And I couldn’t be stopped now. GlobalLife had connections with the police. The cop would look me up in his database and I’d be back in GlobalLife’s custody within the hour.
“Calm down.” I continued to talk to myself. “Maybe he’ll just give me a ticket and leave.”
I slowed the car and pulled over. My hands were shaking as I waited for the officer. Escape scenarios began playing in my head in response to the stress hormones being released in my blood. It was one of my abilities, but it wasn’t always that helpful. The scenes showed me different roads to take in an attempt to get away. But the last thing I needed was a police chase.
I took a deep breath to calm myself. It didn’t work. As the officer approached the car, I heard his thoughts.
“Stupid teenage drivers. She looks to be around 16. Probably just got her license. Bet she’s one of those rich kids from The Academy. Taking Daddy’s fancy car for a spin.”
“You were going 81 in a 55, young lady,” the officer said as I rolled down my window. “License and registration.”
I kept my head down. “I have to get it in the glove compartment. Is that okay?”
“Go ahead.” The officer let out a long sigh as he crossed his arms and stared down at me. “So do you go to The Academy?”
“Um, no. I don’t know what that is.” I reached over and opened the glove compartment. It was filled with papers. I started searching for the registration.
“It’s that private school. Just up a few exits from here.” The officer leaned down and poked his head through the window. “Nice car you got. Is your daddy one of the execs at that research place?”
“I don’t know what place you’re talking about.” I found the registration and handed it to him. It had Owens’ name on it. Once the officer saw Owens’ name, I knew he’d be suspicious. Some teenage girl driving a well-known billionaire’s car?
The officer didn’t look at the registration. Instead he kept talking to me. “You know, that research place that does something with genes? It’s a big corporation. GlobalLife something.”
I tried to act normal. “Um, no. I’ve never heard of that place. Is it around here?”
“It’s down in White Plains. But a lot of the bigwigs who work there like to live out here in the country and send their kids to The Academy.” He paused. “License, please.”
I froze. I didn’t have a license! It was sitting in my bedroom back in Minnesota. My mind began racing so fast that I developed a massive headache. How could I be so stupid speeding like that?
“License, please.” The officer repeated the request as he leaned down closer to me. “What’s the problem? You don’t have one? You’re driving without a license?”
I said nothing and stared straight ahead.
He sighed again. “Okay, then. You’ll need to come with me. Your folks will have to come get you at the station. Gather your things. I’ll be right back.”
The officer returned to his squad car. My headache intensified as my mind tried to hear what he was thinking. But I heard nothing as he walked away.
“Please, please just let me go,” I whispered to myself as if doing so would somehow help. “I’m begging you. Let me go. Just forget this ever happened and go away.”
My head now felt like it was splitting into pieces. I closed my eyes and tried harder to hear the officer’s tho
ughts. I still couldn’t hear anything.
I opened my eyes again. The bright sun made the pain in my head even worse. I checked my mirror to see if the officer was still in his car. But the police car was no longer behind me. I looked out the front window and noticed an expensive black car with dark tinted windows. Had another car been pulled over? Or did the car belong to someone from GlobalLife?
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I knew this wasn’t going to end well. I decided I had to at least try to escape. I reached down to turn the keys in the ignition, but something didn’t look right. Then I noticed the dashboard was different. It had all kinds of equipment attached to it. I quickly realized that I was sitting in the front seat of the police car. The black car in front of me was the one I’d been driving. How did I get in the police car? I looked to my left and caught a glimpse of myself in the side mirror. But it wasn’t me! It was the officer!
“What the hell?” I said it out loud to myself. The voice I heard wasn’t my own. It was the officer’s voice!
The police radio was going off next to me. “Officer Dunn, are you still there? We didn’t hear your earlier report. Please restate your report. Officer Dunn?”
I was somehow inside the officer’s head. I was seeing what he was seeing! I was talking using his voice!
“Officer Dunn. Are you there?” The police radio continued. “Do you need assistance? Please respond.”
“No,” I answered for him. “This is Officer Dunn. I don’t need assistance.” I shuddered hearing his voice come out of me.
“Confirmed,” the police radio blurted out. “Officer Dunn, we need you to report to Pearson Road for a traffic accident. No injuries. Two cars involved.”
“Yes. I’ll be right there.” I could feel Officer Dunn’s mind trying to get control again. I stayed in his head and attempted to think for him. “I need to leave. I have to report to a traffic accident on Pearson Road.”
From the officer’s eyes, I watched him slowly get out of his car and approach mine, handing me the registration. Then he got back in his car.
A Chosen Destiny (The Samantha Project Series #3) Page 11
