The Complete Makanza Series: Books 0-4

by Krista Street

  His fierce anger and my mother’s protective arm around my shoulders helped keep my anxiety at bay.

  “It’s so crazy,” Sophie wailed. “You’d never do anything like that!”

  Sara still held my hand despite my parents standing so close. It felt as if she was afraid to let go.

  Cate nodded toward the couches. “How about we all sit?”

  The ten of us sat down as best we could. Since there wasn’t enough furniture, the twins, Ian, and Amy opted to sit on the floor.

  Davin sat close to my side and put his arm around me. My parents flanked my other side.

  A few times, I caught Ian glancing my way. It was hard to gauge how he felt since his expression gave away nothing. After all, only two months ago he’d been making a pass at me in a hotel room in North Dakota. But even then, I couldn’t forget Davin. I couldn’t move on despite Ian being a good guy.

  I glanced up at the Kazzie at my side. His expression was grim, but he gave me a reassuring squeeze when our gazes met.

  Cate sat forward in her chair and clasped her hands. “Okay, Meghan. Fill me in on everything that’s been happening here. I need to know all of the details. If Senator Douglas wants to play with fire, I’ll give him a fucking inferno.”

  The afternoon quickly turned into the evening as I told them everything I knew. Now that I knew I had been set up, it was a matter of figuring out how to undo it.

  “Kevin said he’ll receive a copy of the video by the end of today,” I concluded. “I have a meeting scheduled with him tomorrow morning to review what he’s found. He also said the investigation is still underway at the Compound. No definitive conclusions have been made yet.”

  “So they suspect you, but they don’t have solid proof?” Sara asked.

  I shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t actually know.” I glanced at Amy. “Have they said when everybody will be allowed back in?”

  She shook her head. “Everybody’s on indefinite leave until the investigation finishes.”

  I leaned into Davin’s hard side. His warmth surrounded me. I bit my lip as I tried to figure a way out of this, but no matter which way my thoughts turned, there were no pretty outcomes.

  CATE, IAN, THE twins, Sharon, and my parents stood to leave just before nine at night with promises to return first thing in the morning. All of them had booked hotel rooms despite my insistence they could all stay.

  “There are not enough beds, Meg.” My dad patted my shoulder as he and my mother gathered their things. “But don’t worry about us. You just worry about yourself right now.”

  I hugged him fiercely and then my mother. For the first time in my entire life, I felt like I could lean on them. They’d stayed by me through everything since the Kazzies had been released. And not once had they questioned the science behind the vaccine or doubted my ability to continue this fight. Other than their worry over my injury, they’d been behind me one-hundred-percent.

  My throat tightened at that realization.

  “My meeting with my attorney is scheduled for ten tomorrow morning. Will you come?”

  My mother squeezed my hand. “Of course. We’ll meet you there.”

  Cate, Ian, the twins, and Sharon all said their goodbyes. When the door finally closed behind everyone, the house seemed unnaturally quiet.

  Everything felt so surreal. The entire last forty-eight hours felt like a bad nightmare that I would surely wake from at any moment.

  Amy retreated to her room to call Ben.

  That left Davin and me alone in the living room.

  He pulled me from the entryway and tugged me down the hall. “You look exhausted.” His words were worried and his eyes bright. I’d felt him watching me all night.

  “I didn’t sleep very well last night,” I joked.

  His mouth tightened. “Come here.”

  He pulled me into our room. Moonlight bathed the carpet and furnishings. Closing the door behind us, he crushed me to his chest.

  His soap and aftershave scent washed over me as I closed my eyes. It was so easy to lose myself with him. When he and I were alone like this, with his strong hands around my waist and his achingly familiar body pressed against mine, it was tempting to forget the outside world.

  “I wish we could stay like this. I wish it could be this simple. This easy. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be free and to be with you,” I whispered.

  “And we will be. I won’t let them take you from me.”

  His tone held a steely edge that made a shiver run through me. He tilted my chin up and pulled me closer. When his lips descended over mine, a fierce longing exploded inside me.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and threaded my fingers through his silky hair.

  He groaned.

  In a blur of movement and need, our clothes were off and we were on the bed.

  Our lovemaking was frantic and raw. Every moment felt precious and precarious, as if the next minute could be snatched away from us.

  When we were both sated and spent, we lay in a tangle of sheets. With our limbs entwined, Davin held me close and pulled the covers up around us. He traced a finger up and down my back as moonlight bathed his fiery skin.

  “I’ll always love you,” he whispered. “From now until the day I die.”

  “I love you too. Please know that. If anything happens and I don’t—”

  He put a finger to my lips. “Nothing’s going to happen. We’ll figure this out and we’ll have a normal life. Any alternatives are not something I’ll accept.”

  I smiled at his firm words and absolute conviction that he could fix this. But deep in my heart, I knew it wasn’t that simple. I knew that come tomorrow, reality would come crashing back and our love for one another may not be enough.

  CATE, IAN, MY parents, Sharon, and the twins met us at Kevin’s office the next day. I felt as pale as a ghost when his secretary ushered our group into the conference room.

  A crumbling five-story building lay directly across the street. It was visible through the boardroom’s expansive windows. Several large bird nests sat on decaying window fixtures that were splattered with bird poop.

  “Please have a seat.” Kevin waved at the chairs around the large board table.

  Despite having everyone at my side, I still felt like a cornered mouse.

  Even though I knew my friends and family would fight for me until the end, I also knew against the law, it didn’t matter. If the courts deemed me guilty of the explosions, my innocence was inconsequential.

  I’d lose my freedom, I’d lose my friends, and I’d lose Davin.

  A part of me wanted to laugh hysterically at the irony of it all. I’d spent months upon months working to free my Kazzie friends. Now, they were working to free me.

  “I have a copy of the video.” Kevin picked up a remote control and flicked on a TV hanging from the wall. “I figure we’ll watch that first.”

  The ten of us swiveled our chairs to face the screen. Kevin hit another button and the video turned into a blur as he forwarded to a specific scene.

  When he pressed play again, the image stilled. It showed the Production Room with its numerous mechanics and machinery. For a moment, nothing happened. Since the video was silent, all we could see were the machines turning and moving, but everything else was still.

  I leaned forward in my seat as I waited for the incriminating scene to unfold. I didn’t have to wait long. A second later, a person entered the frame.

  It appeared to be a woman from the person’s small build. She was fully suited up.

  I frowned.

  From the camera’s distance, she did look like me.

  Davin and I shared a puzzled look before turning back to the video.

  The scene wasn’t long. It showed the woman rushing toward one of the machines with a device. She crouched down and taped what I assumed was the bomb to the machine.

  A few minutes passed. It seemed that she was programming something into the bomb.

  When she finished, she sto
od and darted away.

  Kevin stopped the video. “This is a video they claim shows you planting the device.”

  I turned to him with wide eyes. “But you can’t see the individual’s face. That person just has a similar build to me.”

  Kevin raised an eyebrow. “Exactly. However, they are claiming that when you zoom in on the feed that person looks like you. Not to mention, the time stamp matches when you were in the Production Room.”

  Cate snorted. “I’ve seen plenty of videos firsthand from our security feed, and I can tell you that zooming in on an individual does not give a clear picture. That person could be any woman the same size as Meghan and just because her time stamp shows she was in the room doesn’t prove she planted the bomb.”

  Kevin nodded. “True, but there’s more. Your fingerprints are on the bomb remnants, Meghan.”

  “What?” The word exploded out of me.

  Kevin continued on, his tone unwavering. “That coupled with this video, is their evidence that you’re the one who planted the bomb.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “But . . . surely that’s not proof. If I’ve been framed, then I could have been set up to touch that material before it was turned into the bomb. Senator Douglas visited me in jail. He gloated and more or less told me that my arrest was because I defied him. He practically admitted that he framed me!”

  Kevin nodded. “Even if he did say that, we don’t have proof of it. I’ll check the visitor’s log at the jail again, but a visit from him doesn’t prove that he framed you.”

  I slumped back in the chair, my heart thundering in my chest. “What about the video feed showing me being attacked? Surely, that would help them understand it wasn’t me?”

  Kevin steepled his hands. “There is no video of that.”

  Davin tensed as my mouth dropped. “How can there not be?”

  “It was either in a blind spot that the cameras didn’t pick up, or it was destroyed in the explosion.”

  Or Senator Douglas removed it before the explosion so he didn’t leave any loose ends behind.

  Even though I felt like dropping my head into my hands, I didn’t. Straightening my shoulders, I asked, “So now what?”

  “Exactly, now what?” My dad turned a stern gaze to my attorney.

  Kevin replied calmly, “I continue to build our case while the investigation continues.”

  “And if we can’t find more evidence that Meghan is innocent?” Cate demanded. “Despite her little visit from Senator Douglas in which he practically admitted to framing her?”

  Kevin raised a hand. “Without proof that he was there, and without proof that conversation took place, that’s not something we can use in our case. I suggest we cross one bridge at a time.”

  That non-reassuring comment left me chilled to the bone. If we can’t prove that I’m innocent, I’m going to jail.

  EVERYONE RETURNED TO our rental home after we wrapped up with Kevin. More than ever, I needed to go for a run. I hadn’t run in weeks, not since Dr. Roberts had shot me in Mobridge. But now I was healed, and I desperately needed to blow off steam.

  I retreated to Davin’s and my bedroom to change into my running clothes the second I walked through the door. Tense energy seemed to hang every which way I turned. It was driving me crazy.

  Cate and Ian were currently in the living room. They’d pulled out their laptops with shaky hands so they could work remotely. Amy had picked up the phone to call Ben, while the twins and Sharon had popped a movie into the DVD player after trying unsuccessfully to get me to watch it with them. Only my parents weren’t in the house.

  My mother had the foresight to realize we didn’t have much food. Whisking Amy’s, Davin’s and my Food Distribution Center cards from our wallets, she’d pulled my dad from the home with promises to come back soon with a mountain of groceries.

  Davin appeared at our bedroom door and crossed his arms. “What are you doing?”

  I twirled my hair up into a ponytail and slipped on my running shoes. “I need to run. Do you want to join me?”

  “Are you sure you’re up for it?”

  “More than up for it. If I don’t run, I’m going to scream.”

  Stepping into the room, he slipped off his sweatshirt in one swift move. Despite the gravity of my situation, my breath stopped at the sight of his bare chest and rippling muscles. Scars littered his honey-hued abdomen and legs, but it didn’t deter from his magnificent physique.

  After donning shorts and a t-shirt, he nodded toward the back door. “Let’s go.”

  We slipped out before anyone knew what we were doing. I led the way down the driveway with Davin at my heels. The only other time we’d run together had been at the Compound when I’d been contained within the Inner Sanctum.

  Other than that, we still hadn’t had time to enjoy anything as simple as an evening run together.

  My muscles protested as I set a vigorous pace. Warm evening air flowed across my cheeks as our feet pounded the asphalt. I knew I’d be sore tomorrow. It had been weeks since I’d run, and I already felt it in every muscle in my body.

  “Are you doing okay?” Davin ran steadily at my side. His words were even and deep. I knew this run would be like a Sunday afternoon stroll to him, but I loved having him with me.

  “I’m going to feel this tomorrow that’s for sure.” My breath was labored, but I didn’t slow. Even though it was my first run in over two months, I wasn’t going easy on myself.

  Right now, I needed the solace running brought. It was the only time I felt still. The only time I felt at peace. It had been my therapy for so many years, and at the moment, I needed therapy more than anything.

  We ran in silence as the miles ticked by. Every now and then, Davin’s arm brushed mine. The feel of him, and his towering form, helped clear my mind and still my quivering nerves.

  It was his calming presence that freed my mind. As each mile pounded beneath us, I turned more inward. I scanned my memories again and again, looking and searching for anything that may help my case against the Compound.

  By the time we looped back to the house, sweat poured from my face and ran in steady rivers down my back. It was only as I stopped to walk in circles to cool down, that a memory flashed to life inside me.

  I gasped and closed my eyes.

  The memory solidified in my mind, like a movie playing on the big screen. It showed me with Dr. Roberts in the interrogation room on Reservation 1. It had been right after I’d returned from Washington D.C. following Davin’s and my friends’ imprisonment on the reservation.

  I’d met with my former boss in hopes of securing my friends’ safety. It was during that meeting that I’d made the deal to never talk to or contact them again.

  But it wasn’t that deal that triggered the memory. It was what Dr. Roberts had said.

  “And just so you know. I’ve heard you’ve been busy. Just yesterday you were in Washington D.C. From what I hear, you were once again trying to sabotage my career. This time you were asking the president herself that I be removed from my position.”

  My eyes flashed open. “Davin!”

  Davin’s tall form turned my way. Worry grew in his liquid cobalt gaze. “What’s wrong?”

  My hands shook. “Dr. Roberts . . . He . . .” I gasped for air. It was more than just the run that made it hard to breathe. If I was right, if my hunch was correct, my former boss may be the key to keeping me out of jail.

  Davin’s gaze hardened at the sound of Dr. Roberts’ name. “What is it?”

  I explained to him what I’d just remembered. If Dr. Roberts had known about my meeting with the president then he had insider contacts in the nation’s capital. It was possible, but not probable, that his contact had been Senator Douglas. They both hated the Kazzies. They’d both worked to keep them imprisoned. And if the two men were connected, it was possible my former boss may have information about the senator’s illegal activities.

  Davin’s eyebrows knit together, his mouth
tightening into a line as hard as granite. “You’re saying that Dr. Roberts may have dirt on the senator.”

  I nodded my head vigorously. “And if he has any incriminating information, it’s possible he may share it in return for a shorter prison sentence.”

  Fury emanated from Davin as he balled his hands into fists.

  I laid my hand on his forearm. “It’s worth pursuing. If I can prove that the senator is behind not only my framing, but the debacle behind Zoe Mathison’s death, the charges may be dropped. I know it’s grasping at straws, but we have to do something.”

  Breathing deeply, Davin gave a curt nod. “As much as I hate that bastard, you’re right. So now what?”

  “Now, I call him.”

  DAVIN AND I rushed into the house and informed everyone of what I’d remembered.

  Thankfully, Cate hadn’t left. While the MRRA may have allowed me to contact Dr. Roberts in their psychiatric facility before my arrest, now I knew they wouldn’t. However, as a former Director, Cate held more power than most generals within the MRRA. After one call from her, I was now on hold while waiting for a guard to retrieve Dr. Roberts from his cell.

  My hands shook. Within minutes, I’d be speaking to the man who’d tortured my friends and personally sought to destroy me.

  There were no guarantees he’d talked to me even if he had information that could exonerate me.

  The line clicked.

  “Dr. Forester?” the guard asked.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m putting you through now.”

  Another click followed and then breathing could be heard from the other end. My heart rate increased.

  “Hello?” I asked tentatively.

  “Dr. Forester. I have to say it’s quite a surprise to hear from you.” My former boss’ words rolled through the connection.

  My grip tightened on the phone. “Thank you for speaking with me.”

  I expected a sarcastic or scathing reply. Instead, Dr. Roberts said, “What can I do for you?”

  I eyed the people around me. Cate, Ian, Davin, the twins, Sharon, Amy, and my parents all leaned forward, hanging off my every word. Closing my eyes, I tried to calm my rapid breathing.