Breaking Out: Part II

by Michelle Diener

  He didn't wait for Giles's agreement, just started running along the fence toward the guards. He waited until he thought he was far enough away from their group that the lights wouldn't pick them up, and started shouting.

  “Hey! Hey, you! What's going on?” He pulled the small flashlight he carried on every op out of a zippered pocket on his pants, and switched it on, shining it at the guards.

  The beam was narrow, but very bright, and he thought he heard a change in the tone of the engine, as if they were slowing down.

  “Hey, assholes? Over here!” He angled the beam of his flashlight to try and catch their eyes, and considered whether he should shoot over their heads.

  That would get their attention, but maybe more than just theirs. The last thing he needed was more guards, so he left his gun, and the spare he'd kept, tucked into the small of his back under his shirt.

  “Hey!” He jumped and waved his arms.

  The quad bike veered toward him, the lights catching him in their bright glare.

  He got closer to the fence, lifted a hand to shield his eyes, and then stepped out of the beams when the quad bike skidded to a halt.

  “Who's there?” A guard jumped down, while his partner rose from his seat, rifle loaded and pointing in his direction.

  “What's going on? Was there some kind of industrial accident?” Nate kept his voice clipped.

  “Who wants to know?” The guard took a step back, out of the light, as if to protect his identity.

  “Just live nearby. Call me a concerned citizen,” Nate said. Good thing he'd healed himself. If he still looked like he'd gone a round with Muscles and Co., he'd have been a lot less believable as a nosy neighbor. “I heard the boom. I know an explosion when I hear one.”

  “We're still gathering information, sir. You can contact our offices for the official press statement when we know more.” It was the guard still in the vehicle who cut in.

  Slick, careful.

  He was definitely not a grunt.

  “Could I leave my name at the gate? So they can contact me when you have more information?”

  “Sure.” The guard drawled out the answer, and Nate nearly smiled.

  They had no intention of contacting him again, but they wouldn't say no to his name and number.

  All the better to hunt him down later.

  “On second thoughts, maybe'll I'll call in, like you suggested,” he said, looking left toward the gate. “I live in the opposite direction, and I need to be getting back.”

  He wanted them to offer to walk and talk him to the gate. Or to force them to head back to the main office to report him to someone.

  Anything but let them carry on along the fence to run smack into Kel.

  Giles would kill them, he was a hundred percent sure of that, but it would only be a temporary respite.

  “How about we accompany you, radio back to base and see what we can tell you in the interim. Give you the lowdown to share with your friends.”

  That's right. Keep me on the hook, buddy. You want to get my details.

  Nate made a show of looking at his watch. Feigning uncertainty. “Weeeell. I guess if you can get some information for me ahead of anyone else . . .”

  “We'll do what we can.” The guy slid down into his seat. “Come on, Wilson, let's escort our friend to the gate.”

  Nate gave a reluctant nod, turned his flashlight back on and pointed it at the ground.

  He'd taken all of three steps when the crack of gunfire seemed to whip the air behind him.

  Giles was shooting at someone.

  “Shit.” The guard who'd gotten out of the quad bike breathed it out like a prayer.

  As soon as his foot was on the runner board, the guy behind the wheel took off toward Kelli and the others.

  Nate pulled both guns from the back of his pants and ran after them.

  No way were they getting his girl. No. Way.

  Chapter Ten

  It was hard to go from being the bad girl pretending to be a good girl to damsel in distress.

  Nina had the stomach-dropping sense that things were out of control, and she was being swept along by a hurricane called Giles.

  He'd rescued her, and now Kelli had rescued her.

  And sacrificed herself to do it.

  It didn't sit well with Nina. Not at all.

  Kelli was stuck, and from the way she was crouching, face white with the strain of telekinetically lifting four adults over a twelve foot fence, she knew it.

  “What can we do?” Nina looked over at Giles. He had a gun tucked into the back of his pants, another in his hands. He held it like it was an extension of his body. Unwavering and competent.

  “Nate called it. I'll shoot anyone who comes close. He'll head them off. We wait until Kel has the strength to get herself over.”

  “When you start shooting, more will come running.”

  Giles shrugged. “Then I'll shoot more.”

  Kelli, still in her crouch, looked back at him over her shoulder, and from the way she was frowning, Nina guessed she was projecting something to him, talking to him with her thoughts.

  She saw Giles give a jerk of his head. “No way, Kel. We're staying until you're out. Never leave a man behind.”

  She kept looking at him, and he gave a low laugh. “Oh, I've noticed you're not a man. And Nate has definitely noticed. But that saying needs an update anyway. Never leave a teammate behind. How's that?”

  Kelli turned back to face the buildings, slumping a little, as if the fight had gone out of her.

  It didn't make sense. Everything Nina'd seen of Giles told her he'd never leave a friend behind. He hadn't even been prepared to leave Simons behind, and Simons was no one to him.

  Surely Kelli would know that?

  She stopped short. “She wanted you to take us to safety.”

  Oh, wow. That suddenly made a whole lot of sense.

  “That's why she was talking to you through her thoughts. She wanted you to get me and Simons out.”

  Giles looked over at her, and her jaw dropped at the regret in his eyes. “Sorry, Nina. I would if I could do it and be sure Kelli would be safe, but I can't risk it.”

  He was apologizing.

  As if he owed her any more than getting her out of the hell she'd been in for way too long.

  “I can get myself out of here.” She was a big girl. Simons——that was another story. But none of that mattered, anyway. “What I want to know is would it be helpful to you if I stayed?”

  He hesitated. Really thought about.

  He didn't dismiss her offer because she was a woman and he was the big, strong man with the gun.

  She stared at him, a warmth blossoming in her that she hadn't felt for a long, long time.

  “If it were just you,” he said eventually. “But with . . .” He looked over at Simons, who was staring at Kelli, his arms wrapped tight around him. “Maybe get him to Nate's truck, so when we get Kel out, you're already there and waiting for us.”

  Not slowing us down, was what he meant, and she was grateful he didn't say it aloud. She wasn't sure how much Simons was taking in, but no one liked to hear they were dead weight.

  She gave a tight nod and he grinned at her, a quick, bright smile that rooted her to the spot.

  Had anyone ever smiled at her like that?

  “Nate's got the keys to the truck, but you can wait next to it 'til we get there. Just go straight toward the wood over there, it's parked through the trees.”

  “Okay.” She got a grip, took Simons' arm. “Let's go, Dudley. We're walking to the truck.”

  “We've got company.”

  Kelli's voice stopped her dead. It was calm enough, but the news couldn't have been worse.

  Nina strained her eyes to see, and eventually made out movement, a man in black with a small flashlight coming toward them.

  “I could use your knife, if you throw it over,” Kelli said, her voice pitched very low.

  “He'd shoot you long before you
got to him,” Giles said, voice just as quiet. “Even if it's a dart gun, if you're out, you can't levitate.”

  Kelli sighed. Lay down flat so she was almost impossible to see with her black clothing and dark hair.

  “You and Dudley should go now.” Giles didn't look over at Nina as he spoke, his eyes fixed on the approaching guard.

  Nina tugged on Simons' arm, and he started moving with her. But she didn't think they'd taken more than a few steps when Giles squeezed the trigger.

  Even though she knew it was coming, she jerked, and Simons stopped dead. Turned, as she did, to look back.

  “Did you get him?”

  Giles gave a terse nod, gun still up.

  From the left, the quad bike engine revved up.

  They'd attracted the guards Nate had run off to distract.

  There was another crack of gunfire, from their side of the fence, and she guessed Nate was taking aim at the quad bike, trying to stop them long before they got to Kelli.

  “He missed.” Giles didn't sound too surprised. “But they're rattled, so that's good.”

  He shot in their direction, and Nina suddenly realized this was very, very real. “Come on, Dudley. We have to go.”

  She pulled at him, but for the first time that night he resisted, jerked his arm back.

  “She need to get over the fence?” He pointed at Kelli.

  It was the first time she'd ever heard him speak, and his voice was husky and rough.

  She gave a nod. “It's electrified, though. So she can't climb it.” She put her hand on his arm again.

  Kelli had risen to a crouch, ready to run if she needed to.

  “She got us over the fence.”

  “Yes, she did. Now we have to help by getting to the truck.” She pulled at his arm again, but he shook her off.

  “I'll get her over. She got us over.”

  He turned to fully face the fence, started jogging straight for it.

  “Dudley. What are you doing?”

  Giles took another shot, then turned to look at what was going on.

  She saw him focus on Simons, trying to read his thoughts. He frowned.

  “Dudley, you don't want to do that.”

  With horror, Nina saw Simons wasn't slowing down to stand next to the fence, he was running straight into it.

  And from the left, the spotlights on the quad bike were illuminating all of them, the engine a loud roar in the night.

  Then Simons grabbed the fence with both hands, and she saw the electric charge spark along his arms.

  He gripped harder, his face contorted in pain, and then, with a crack, the fence went quiet.

  * * *

  “He's short-circuited the power. Climb the fence, Kel. Now!” Giles's shout made Kelli turn.

  She'd heard the sharp pop and crackle of the electricity, but she'd been too busy watching the approaching quad bike to see what happened.

  Giles was at the fence with Nina Calvados, and they were prying Simons' hands from the wire.

  Somehow, he'd survived the charge, overloaded the system and shut it down.

  Then Giles's words sunk in and she ran at the fence, grabbing hold and pulling herself up.

  Her shoes slipped a few times, forcing her to dangle by her arms, but she was making progress, was almost at the top, when the quad bike's roar told her they were right below her.

  She looked to the side, saw Nate coming at a dead run, silent and absolutely focused on the guards driving toward her.

  Giles shot twice, smooth and easy, and the quad bike crashed into the fence.

  She nearly lost her hold, her hands stiff and bleeding from the grip she had to keep on the thin wire.

  “Go, Kel. Quick.” Nate stood directly on the other side, Giles covering them both.

  She could hear shouting, more engines, and she reached the top, came over too fast, and fell.

  Nate caught her. Pressed his lips against the top of her head and inhaled one deep, hard breath against her hair, and then put her down.

  “Let's go.” He grabbed her hand, and then they were running for the trees, in a way that brought back memories of their escape from Doc Greenway's clinic.

  “Just like old times,” she managed to gasp, and Giles huffed out a laugh beside her.

  They caught up with Nina and Simons, who were only halfway to the woods, Nina helping Simons as he stumbled along.

  “Help him,” she said to Nate, and he squeezed her hand once in his and then let go. And then he and Giles each took a side and lifted Simons under his arms, never even breaking stride.

  “They're a sight, aren't they?” Nina fell in beside her, her words coming in sharp, painful pants.

  Kelli knew how that went, when you weren't given the space to exercise, and you were shut up all day. She was only just getting back her form, herself.

  She turned her head and grinned. “They are.”

  They hit the treeline, and Kel led the way, keeping up the pace she'd set. Nina could rest later.

  Behind them, it sounded as if at least a few quad bikes were out the gate and coming their way.

  Simons was already in the back and Nate had the truck started by the time they arrived, and she and Nina hadn't even got the doors closed before Nate took off.

  The truck fishtailed as Nate hit a patch of mud at speed, and the crack of a gun sounded behind them.

  Kelli turned back to look through the rear window, saw one quad bike through the trees.

  Then Nate was turning onto the highway, and accelerating away, and the twin beams of the quad bike's headlights winked out.

  Chapter Eleven

  The house they'd brought her to was big, with a massive living room and a deck attached, and Nina gravitated there after she'd showered.

  She was wearing some of Kelli's clothes, and her hair smelled like good shampoo. She'd almost forgotten about that. Good shampoo and the way it made her hair fall in soft, shiny waves.

  Talk about a day that went off script.

  She'd started it looking for any opportunity to show she was a trustworthy good girl, and had ended it escaping amidst a gun fight and an explosion.

  Guess her good girl cover was blown.

  She smiled as she opened the glass doors and stepped out into the dark. Even though it was freezing, she did it because she could. Because no one would stop her. She leant her elbows on the top of the railing, looked up at the few stars peeking through the clouds.

  No more pretending to be a meek little miss anymore.

  The thought made her lightheaded.

  She closed her eyes, let the cold breeze lift her hair back from her face.

  Below the deck the garden fell steeply away into thick shadow, down to a dense forest. The only sounds she could hear were the wind in the trees and the faraway drone of the highway.

  She shivered, but not really from the cold. She could barely believe where she was, and how fast she'd gotten here.

  Behind her the door opened, and Giles stepped onto the deck.

  His blond hair was still wet and spiky, and he smelled so good, she had to get a hard grip on the railing. He was wearing jeans and a dark red sweater, but even without the black clothes and a gun in each hand, the impression he gave was still one of lethal, trained soldier.

  He hesitated before he reached her, a strangely vulnerable look on his face.

  “What is it?” She looked over at him. Frowned.

  He hunched his shoulders, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. Finally he moved to stand next to her, almost touching but not quite.

  They stood looking out over the forest, lit only by the glow of the house behind them and the stars above.

  “I didn't realize how much I used my telepathy to read situations before. Most of the time, I wish I couldn't hear people's thoughts, but right now, I would give a lot to know what you're thinking.”

  She shot him a quick look. “You can trust me, if that's what you're wondering. I won't tell anyone where this house is, or about any of
you. Why would I? You saved my life.”

  He grimaced, looked away from her and then back. Then ran a hand through his hair, making it even spikier. “That's not what I meant. If you've got a place you want to go, that's fine, but we'd like to offer you a place here.”

  “Here, with you?” It hadn't occurred to her that that was on the table. That they would want her to join them. She let the idea sink in.

  “I don't think I could. I don't have any money and——”

  “Nina, we hacked into one of Greenway's offshore accounts. You have as much right to a share of it as we do, so frankly, you don't ever need to work again with what we scooped out of there.”

  She tried to absorb that, too.

  “Kelli and Nate and I . . . we stole a list from Greenway. A list of all the people he sent away from the facility. You were the first person we picked from that list, but we aren't going to stop there. We're going to break everyone out.”

  She couldn't speak. Her eyes blurred and she saw the forest through a mist of tears, her hands clenched together like she was pleading for mercy.

  “Oh, hell. I've fucked this up.”

  Giles sounded so close to panic, she couldn't help laughing as she looked over at him.

  A tear escaped and ran down her cheek.

  “You didn't fuck it up.” Her voice was so thick, she sounded like she was speaking under water.

  He stared at her, leaned over and brushed the tear away with the tip of his finger. “I didn't?”

  “No.” She had to turn away, look out over the forest again, because she didn't know what to do about the look in his eyes.

  “That's good.” He inched closer, so his shoulder brushed hers, and she could feel the heat coming off him.

  “What about Simons?” She didn't know Simons, had almost left him to his own devices earlier today, but now, there was no way she'd dump him and let him fend for himself.

  “Simons can stay, too. Hell, we wouldn't kick him out. He'd be back at that facility before he could blink.”