“How long are you planning on staying in my bed?” she asked playfully.
“However long it takes,” he answered.
“Takes for what?”
He smiled a wolfish grin. “However long it takes for us to get each other out of our systems.”
She laughed again. “We don't like each other, remember?”
Trent shrugged. “We're adults who can have fun without liking each other, aren't we? Plus, I like you well enough when your lips are on mine.”
She also liked him when he was kissing her, but still she narrowed her eyes at him as though she wasn't convinced. His distraction tactic was certainly working - or it had for a moment there. Phoenix looked around, and remembered just how much shit they were in. There would be no going home and locking themselves away for days, because she knew it would take that long for her to get her fill of Trent McKay. No, this was just foolish talk. She doubted they would even see the light of day again at this point.
Trent moved fast, faster than a guy his size should move, making her gasp in surprise as he lifted her and slammed her down on the desk, inserting himself between her legs.
“What are you -”
His mouth covered hers and she moaned loudly as his tongue swept in to tangle with her own. Phoenix gripped his biceps as he pulled her hips to the edge of the desk to meet his. They moaned together as sparks of desire ignited.
“I want you so badly,” Trent said, rolling his hardness against her. “I can't even remember a time when I didn't.”
That sounded suspiciously serious to her, but she knew it wasn’t possible. He couldn't stand her, she knew that. Either way, it lit a fire within her, and suddenly she couldn't get close enough to him. Phoenix clawed at him, practically trying to climb his body as his mouth ravaged hers. She could feel the hard size of him through their pants, and knew every part of Trent was impressive. Her core clenched at the thought, and she nearly begged him to take her right then and there. Be damned who could come in at any moment, she wanted him too - badly.
“Trent,” his name escaped her lips on a moan before she could stop it. He growled, his teeth nipping at her lower lip.
Someone cleared their throat loudly from behind him. The person was blocked from her vision since Trent stood in front of her. They both froze, their breathing still coming out quick and hard.
Slowly, Trent looked over his shoulder, keeping himself in front of her, as she tried to look around him. Garrett, and an incredibly embarrassed looking Missy, stood just inside the door. Whoever had brought them here had already left, leaving the four of them alone.
“Please,” Garrett said with a smirk, “don't let us interrupt you.”
“Fuck off,” Trent said, his voice gruff.
“Nice to see you too, brother.”
Phoenix met Missy's eyes and she could tell her younger sister was fighting back laughter. Phoenix pointed her finger at her. “Not a fucking word,” she said. “Not one fucking thing.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The four of them waited in a tense silence. Trent was quieter than usual because he was still trying to fight down his erection. Phoenix drove him nuts. If his brother and Missy hadn't shown up, he would have likely taken her right then and there. Hearing his name on her lips like some sort of painful plea had nearly undone him. He could still smell her sweet scent around him, which wasn't helping. No one wanted to say much in case someone was listening.
When the door opened again not long after, he tensed, ready for a fight. But it was only the guards again, shoving in a pissed-off looking Tyler, before shutting them all in once more. Missy raced to his side and the two of them embraced. It was easy to see how worried they were about each other, and suddenly Trent felt even worse knowing they were all in trouble now.
He could have coped with the situation if it had been just himself in trouble, but he couldn’t handle having the rest of them on his conscience. Garrett was his little brother, and Trent knew Missy had already had to deal with bad things in the past. Not to mention Tyler had just gotten out of his own prison. This was all so fucked up. Even though it technically wasn't his fault, Trent still felt guilt and anger over it. Their dads would never forgive him if he got them all killed.
“You guys never should have come here,” he said, breaking the silence.
“Yeah, well, it's too late for regrets now,”' Tyler said, keeping his arms around Missy.
“In our defense, we figured this would be a piece of cake since we've made a habit of finding one of us trapped somewhere, and then getting them out. Looks like our luck has run out,” said Garrett, propping his feet up on the desk as he leaned back in the chair.
Looking at him, you'd think they were all just having a nice conversation in their living room. His youngest brother had always been the calmest of them. If Pete had been here, he'd likely be punching the door and walls to try to get them out. He definitely was the hot headed one. Trent liked to think he was a mixture of the two, which made him level-headed in his mind. Not that it was doing him any good now.
“What do you think they want?” Missy asked, her voice soft.
“Who knows,” Garrett said, his head falling back.
“Don't worry, Miss,” Phoenix said, “nothing bad will happen.”
“We're trapped underground, Phoenix. I think we're already past the point of bad things happening,” said Missy.
Trent smiled at the glimmer of a backbone he saw in the usually timid girl. Whatever had happened with her and Tyler, he could tell she’d been changed by it. In a good way.
“Where's Pix?” Garrett asked. “They took her away before any of us.”
Trent looked over at Phoenix, who had placed herself on the other side of the room from him. He didn't doubt that was deliberate. It was probably a smart thing, considering how tightly wound his body was still. And yet, the space between them now bothered him. He remembered the feel of her soft, womanly flesh beneath his hands, and it had him growing hard all over again.
He needed to get a hold of himself. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Why was she taken away?”
He hadn't seen Pixie and had no idea what they were talking about. Missy explained. Trent listened, not as surprised as the others at the mystery surrounding Pixie and the leader, Bastian. He already knew something was up there, and this just confirmed it.
Before he could tell them about the incident in the gym, the door opened and the devil himself walked in. Bastian stopped just inside the entry, his gaze roaming over all of them.
“Well isn't this cozy,” he said with a hard smile. “Everyone seems to know each other, yeah?”
“Look, man,” Garrett said, standing up. “I don't know what you're talking about, but my wife and I -”
“Enough!”
Garrett's mouth snapped shut at the command.
“Don't insult me with more lies,” Bastian continued. “I'm not a fucking idiot so don't treat me that way. You're in my house, and you'll answer my questions with the truth, nothing else. This shit ends now.”
Phoenix stepped forward, her back straight. Trent had the urge to place himself between them, but knew a woman like her wouldn't take too kindly to being treated as though she needed to be protected.
“Where's Pixie?” she asked, dropping all pretenses.
Bastian's eyes narrowed, and if Trent was’t mistaken, a possessive look filled them at the mention of Pix. “She's none of your concern right now. What you need to worry about is yourself, little Red. So you’d better start talking, or none of you will be leaving this room alive.”
“Lottey?”
Charlotte heard her sister enter the room a second before she felt the bed dip under her weight as she sat beside her. A soft hand brushed strands of hair off her forehead.
“You feeling any better?” she asked.
“A little,” Charlotte lied. She hated worrying her sister. Truth was, the nausea that had plagued her for what felt like forever now, still hadn't eased up. The most s
he could manage to eat was dry crackers and sips of water. She had no idea what illness plagued her, but she knew Bridgette and Pete were beyond worried now.
“Do you want some soup? Vi made it, and it's not half bad.”
She managed a chuckle. “Sure.”
Bridgette left only to be replaced by a concerned looking Lake.
“Hey,” she said, standing by the door. “Still sick?”
“Unfortunately,” Charlotte replied, pushing herself up into a sitting position.
“Look,” she said, glancing down the hall before stepping further into the room. “I know of a doctor in the Upper section who's decent enough that he’d probably be willing to take a look at you.”
Charlotte looked at her in surprise. That was the last thing she'd expected her to say. “We don't have money to pay a doctor,” she pointed out. “Plus, there's no way to get into the Upper section.”
Lake nodded. “There is. I know of a way. If you think you'd be up to it, I can take you there and hopefully we can get you some medicine. I'm sure I can find something to trade him for payment.”
“ How do you know him?”
She bit her lip, as though weighing how to respond. Charlotte waited patiently, respecting that everyone had their secrets. She of all people understood that.
“I have an aunt in the Upper section. She's his patient, and he's a nice man. I trust him.”
Charlotte considered this, and decided she trusted Lake's judgement. The problem was, how was she going to get there without being recognized? Ludwig had increased his presence in the Upper section, and more of the soldiers now knew Weapon X had been a girl. Some might even know her face now. It was risky, but so was lying here feeling sick.
“Okay, let's do it,” she said.
“Are you sure? It's a bit of a walk. Do you think you'll make it?”
Charlotte nodded. “I'm not worried. I'm more concerned about how we're going to get past the warden just to get out of the house.”
As if they'd called him, Pete walked in at that moment, his eyes going back and forth between them. “What are you two up to?”
***
“I'm going to say this once again, this is a bad idea,” Pete said for the hundredth time. “I should go with you.”
“No!” Lake and Charlotte said together.
Charlotte walked up to him, gripping his shirt, forcing him to look her in the eyes. “I love you, but you need to stay here and let us go alone. We're trying to go unnoticed, and having more people with us will only make that harder. Lake and I will be fine. You heard her, she's done this thousands of times. There won't be any issues.”
“I can't believe you've been sneaking off to the Uppers,” Sam grumbled.
“I told you, my aunt lives there,” Lake said softly. Charlotte could tell the poor girl felt bad for having lied to her friends.
“Ignore her,” Vi said, shooting Sam a reprimanding glare. “You don't have to tell us everything. Just go and get Lottey some help, and be safe.”
Lake gave her a grateful smile.
“Come on,” Charlotte said, pulling Lake. “Let's do this before I have to puke again.” Truth was, she wasn't feeling the strongest. Even just standing there as long as she had been while they all argued over the plan had drained her. The thought of having to walk to the Upper section made her want to cry, but she wasn't going to show it. Roman was watching her closely, and she’d bet he could see just how tired she really was.
“Keep your eyes open, and stay as far away from any soldiers as you can,” Pete said, coming up to cup her cheeks.
“Yes, sir,” she said with a salute.
“Don't joke, babe,” he said seriously. “What you're doing is dangerous.”
Charlotte sighed. “I know. But it will be fine. I promise. No soldiers. No problems.” She went up on her tippy toes and kissed him quickly.
She and Lake headed toward the front door.
“No soldiers,” Pete said again.
She gave him a thumbs up. “Ten-four.”
The front door opened just then. Inside it stood a large man, the NWO letters on his uniform causing all the blood to drain from her face. The soldier smiled.
CHAPTER NINE
“Seamus, you idiot!”
Charlotte yelled, smacking him on the arm. “You scared the shit out of me.”
He chuckled. “My bad, girl.”
Pressing her hand against her racing heart, she took a step back to get a better look at him. He wore the New World Order uniform as though it were perfectly natural. How had he gotten one? She wondered. Her mind instinctively started to reach out its mental fingers to find the answer within his mind, but she pulled them back. It didn't happen often, but sometimes her abilities kicked in on their own.
She made it a point to never read the minds of her friends, respecting their privacy. This time she had pulled back a second too late though, a flash of what had happened coming to her before she could stop it. She winced outwardly at the vision of Seamus shooting the soldier. His eyes met hers, and she knew that he knew what she'd seen.
“Where the hell did you get the monkey suit?” Pete asked, stepping up beside her.
Seamus and she looked at one another for a moment before he turned to his brother.
“Why? Don't you like it? I thought I looked rather dashing,” he replied, turning from side to side.
“The question is, why are you wearing it, Seamus?” Roman asked.
A mischievous grin lit up his face. “Because it seemed like a brilliant idea at the time. Think about it, no one is going to be looking for soldiers. Tyler and Missy made it all the way home when they did it. Except they threw theirs out, so now I have my own.”
“You look like a douche bag,” Pete muttered.
Seamus scoffed. “Mate, I make this thing look good. I don't know what you're on about.” He walked into the room, flopping down on the couch. “Where are you two off to?”
“Lake is taking Lottey to a doctor,” answered Roman.
“Want me to escort you?” he offered, wiggling his eyebrows.
“No thanks,” Charlotte replied. “We're better off just the two of us. Plus, I'll have my feelers out for any trouble,” she said, tapping her head.
He gave her a knowing look, understanding why she hadn't had a grip on it when he’d first walked in.
“We should go,” Lake said. “It will be dark soon.”
Charlotte nodded. Turning to Pete, she gave him another kiss before following Lake out of the house. Hopefully they'd talk Seamus out of his crazy idea, because she knew full well what he intended to do. The thought had been there in the forefront of his mind, as clear as day. It was stupid and dangerous. Although, she had a feeling that was exactly why it appealed to him.
“I can't believe you're letting her go out there on her own,” Seamus said from behind him. Pete turned away from the door that Charlotte had disappeared through and faced his best friend.
“You underestimate her,” he replied. “I'm sure they'll be fine.” At least, that's what he'd be telling himself every second that she was gone. Part of him wanted to secretly follow them just to be sure, but he pushed that thought away. She'd probably sense him within seconds anyway if she was keeping her mind open.
Sighing, he walked to one of the chairs and sat down, facing his friend. It was going to be a long afternoon. “So, are you going to explain the get-up? You have that look in your eye.”
Roman sat in the other chair, the girls all leaving to head into the kitchen where lunch was still waiting to be cleaned up. The ex-New World soldier leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Pete could see from the pensive look on his face that he also suspected Seamus was up to something.
He hadn't missed the look on Charlotte's face either, wondering what his girl had figured out before the rest of them. Pete was too in-tuned with her not to notice the subtle change. He wondered if Roman had seen it as well. The two of them had been together long enough that it was poss
ible. That pissed him off, but he fought it back.
Seamus looked between the two of them with an innocent look. They weren't fooled.
“Spit it out, mate,” Pete said.
“I can't imagine what you mean. What look?” Seamus said, splaying his hands in front of him.
“The look that tells us you've got something planned, and even you know it's not good,” Roman answered.
Seamus rolled his eyes. “You two sound like my parents. I'm just not sure which one of you is the mom.”
“Sometimes I feel like your mom,” Pete said, rubbing a hand down his face.
“Well that settles it then, doesn't it?” he said with a grin.
“Just tell us, Seamus,” Roman urged, sounding tired. “If you're really going to try and infiltrate the NWO, you're crazier than I thought.”
Seamus raised both eyebrows. “Can you read minds too all of a sudden?”
“Are you fucking insane? That's your plan?” Pete said, outraged. “They'd figure it out in a day, guaranteed. You're too cocky for your own good, you'd end up getting yourself caught in no time.”
“Ye of little faith,” he said, gripping his chest. “That hurts, mate.”
“He's right,” said Roman. “You don't carry yourself like a soldier.”
“Then I'll fake it,” he shot back.
“When Trent and the others get back here, no one is going anywhere. I'm sick of us all getting separated,” said Pete.
Seamus sighed. “It's not like I'm being kidnapped the way they were. I'm going in willingly, and I'll come back out every night to give reports.” He leaned forward excitedly. “Pete, this is our best chance to find out what Ludwig has planned. The man just bombed our homes again, and has upped his army's presence everywhere. Don't you want some intel? Think of how valuable that would be? I might even be able to figure out what they know about the General while I'm there.”
“Do you think they just broadcast these things in some employee bulletin?” Roman said, shaking his head. “Ludwig hardly shares his thoughts and plans with anyone. It's likely a waste of time.”
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