“What about him?”
“He’s probably based at that lab. What if you don’t find him?”
“Then we don’t find him.”
“It’s not that easy, Miss Davis. We all know,” he gestures expansively at the people sitting around the table, “how you struggle to remain focused when it’s someone that you care about whose life is at stake.” I bite my lip, knowing exactly what he is implying.
“I will blow up that lab, General, whether we find my father or not. It’s what he would want,” I add, blinking back the tears pricking at my eyes. “I will not fail the Legion again.”
Everyone shuffles out but Reed and I remain seated and I rest my head wearily on my arms.
“You okay?”
“Fine, Cowboy, just dandy.”
“I’m proud of you.”
“Are you now?” I raise my head to find him contemplating me thoughtfully.
“I am.”
“What if it doesn’t work?” I ask, knowing he will give me an honest answer.
“Then at least we’ve tried.”
He pushes back his chair and stands up, stretching his arms like a cat. He is like a lion, all tawny and big and brave. I get to my feet and go around the table to stand in front of him.
“You need a haircut.” I push back a dark blond strand of hair covering his eye.
“Always do,” he drawls nonchalantly, but I can tell he is not as certain of himself at this moment as he is pretending to be.
“Reed, what you said last night, I . . .”
“Forget it. I had far too much punch. And the kid pissed me off. Why should he get to kiss you, when I’ve got to be all noble and take the moral high ground?” He is joking, but there is obviously some truth in his words.
“So that’s what you’re doing?” I ask, moving closer to him. I can feel the heat of his body. Reed always smells of soap and raw animal masculinity. He could patent his own pheromone and sell it by the bottle. “You’re being noble?”
“Don’t tempt me, Sexy Bex, I’m only human.”
“You were right,” I begin, “Aidan’s gone. He’s not coming back.” I take a deep breath, “I don’t want you to underestimate how much you mean to me.”
“How much do I mean to you?” Oh that sexy, Southern, husky drawl. I could lose myself in his voice.
“More than I think you realise.” It’s barely more than a whisper, but that’s all it takes. I close my eyes as his arms come around me and I melt against him, rubbing my cheek against his hard chest, trailing my fingers up his arms and over his broad shoulders, feeling the muscles contracting under my touch.
Before my guilt has time to rear its ugly head, I tilt my face up to his, and when our lips touch, it’s just like before, heat and warmth and wanton abandon. His hands cup my face and he turns my head to the side so that the kiss becomes even deeper. I can feel every ounce of his self-control radiating off him, and I lose myself, knowing that he will not take advantage of the situation. Eventually he pulls back, kisses my nose and then pulls me against him, his chin resting on my head.
“Ah, Tiny, what am I going to do with you?” he murmurs into my hair, and then he lets me go.
My legs feel weak, and I surreptitiously grab the nearest chair for support.
Reed suddenly turns serious. “I’ll find Jeffrey.”
“What?” I’m still trying to bring my breathing under control and I don’t follow.
“I’ll find your father. When we get to the lab. You just worry about blowing things up. I’ll get your dad out, I promise.”
Chapter 5
I leave the Gold Room a few minutes after Reed, needing a moment to gather my thoughts. I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing, at least as far as he is concerned. I know I am playing with fire. Reed is a complex man and his feelings for me are very real. So are mine, but will I ever get over Aidan? Kwan once told me that life is precious; that we need to live it fully. I am attracted to Reed physically, of that there is no question, but could I love him? The way that I loved Aidan? I’m not sure. But Aidan is gone and Reed is here, and he makes me feel good about myself. He makes me a better person. I never feel more alive than when I am with him.
“Rebecca!” As I emerge into the sunshine, Michael’s voice stops me in my tracks. “Elizabeth asked me to find you, they need you at the school.” Alex! I sprint towards the other side of town, all thoughts of Reed gone in my panic. I screech to a halt at the school, and Elizabeth rushes out to meet me.
“Alex!” I gasp. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine, Rebecca!” She places a reassuring hand on my arm. “He’s fine, calm down. There’s just something you need to know.” She ushers me back into the school building and as we make our way towards her office, away from the classroom, she explains.
“Alex got into a scuffle with one of the boys in class.” I stop dead in the middle of the hallway and she hastens to add, “It was nothing serious. I’ve expected something like this for a while now. Anyway, the other boy pushed him and he fell against some old piping. I’ve been asking them to move it for a while; it shouldn’t be on the school grounds, but they left it behind when they were doing some maintenance work on the old prefabs.” I raise my eyebrows questioningly and she quickly gets back to the point. “Anyway, Alex cut his knee pretty badly.” She opens the office door and I see Alex slumped on one of the wooden chairs facing her desk.
“Alex!” I rush forward and kneel in front of him, examining his knees.
“But there’s no . . .”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” Elizabeth says, as I search for an injury that is no longer there. “His healing has manifested.”
We had suspected for some time that Alex would possess all three abilities. His strength had manifested first when he was three years old, and his speed had followed only a few months ago. Aidan had been there to explain to him, to help him understand, and since I came back into his life, I have tried to do the same.
“You understand what’s happened?” I ask him now, looking into his warm brown eyes. He nods and I take his small hands in my own. “Remember what I told you?” Another nod. “You have to be careful; you’re not invincible.”
“I’m just like you now, Mom,” he says, and I pull him into my arms.
‘Yes, baby, you’re just like me.”
Reed arrives at my place as we get home, having heard the news from Michael. I settle Alex down with some paper and crayons and incline my head in the direction of the kitchen, where I set about making us coffee. Well, I make myself coffee, Reed declines his usual sweet tea and takes up his typical stance, leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed over his chest.
“How’s he taking it?”
“He’s okay, actually, he’s quite excited; thinks he’s some sort of superman.”
Reed laughs, then, lowering his voice, he turns serious. “So, what do you make of the General’s excuse?”
“It was feeble,” I answer.
“Yeah, it was. I don’t trust him.”
“Nor do I, but what choice do we have? If he’s working with NUSA, why would he want to create new Legion soldiers? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Do you think Dane got to him?”
“I don’t know.” I pause as a thought occurs to me. “Eric didn’t know about my abilities, he only found out that night at the dojo. If he had been working with the General, he would have known, but . . .”
“But what?”
“Eric knew something. He was suspicious for a while, acting up, questioning my alibis. That was the main reason I wanted to get the Kellys out of the States in the first place.”
“So you think he had inside information?” he asks, and I shake my head, perplexed.
“I honestly don’t know.”
There is a lull in conversation as
we both consider the possibility that the General could be working against us. It still doesn’t add up. If he was, Eric would have known about my abilities.
“We have to find Adam Vincent.” I am thinking aloud.
“Why?”
“I think Eric may have been trying to tell me something after all.”
“The same Eric who murdered innocent people? The one who tried to kill us?”
I smile at him. “The same one.”
“I thought we were working on the he-was-trying-to-save-his-own-skin principle.”
“We were, but something doesn’t feel right. You know, Nina could have killed me, she had me against a wall and there was nothing I could’ve done.”
His knuckles whiten as he tightens his grip on the counter top behind him. “But you did do something. You killed her.”
“Yes, but only because Eric distracted her.”
“He what?”
I hadn’t really given it much thought before but in the last moments, just seconds away from Nina landing the final, fatal blow, Eric had yelled, diverting her attention from me for just a second, which was all I needed. His distraction had saved my life and had cost Nina hers.
“Tiny?”
“Sorry, I was thinking. I’m not sure of course, but I think Eric might have been trying to save my life.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I have no idea.” I ponder this for a moment, but I come up blank. Why would Eric try to save me? I set my mug down on the table and change the subject. There’s no point trying to figure out what Eric was thinking. He is gone. I made sure of that.
“We’ll leave for Dodge City on Thursday,” I say, and Reed nods. Four days is more than enough time for us to pack and plan. We have decided to head for our camp in Dodge City, Kansas, and from there we will make our way back to Toledo, Ohio. The Toledo Camp is only 500 miles from the Chicago capital, and is the closest base from which to launch our attack. We are taking a risk in going back, the camp may have been compromised after the final battle, but it’s a chance we have to take if we are going to blow up the NUSA lab.
“What about Alex?”
“He’s going to stay with Jenna,” I answer, my heart sinking. I hate leaving Alex, particularly now that I am all that he’s got left.
“Not Jessie?” Reed teases and I smile, despite my sombre mood.
“Alex is far more responsible than Jessie.” I adore my Aunt Jessie, but she is a complete lush. The only time I ever see her sober is if I visit before breakfast, although God only knows where she gets her stock.
“Yeah, marginally,” he agrees as he walks down the passage to the lounge where Alex is still colouring.
“Hey Alex, you wanna play Pick-up-Sticks?” He sits down on the carpet next to my son.
“Yeah!” Alex grabs the box off the bookshelf. “You wanna play, Mom?”
“No thanks, boy.” I smile, and the two settle down to play. I lie down on the sofa, content just to watch. Reed has spent a lot of time with Alex since we got back. He lost his own father very young, and my dad, Jeffrey, took him under his wing. This is his way of paying it forward, I guess. Whatever his reasons, I am grateful to him for the major role he plays in our lives. Listening to Alex’s cries of “It moved!” and Reed’s vehement denial, which even I don’t believe, I close my eyes and within minutes I fall asleep.
I wake a few hours later and stretch lazily. The room is dark, the only light coming from the fireplace which wasn’t lit when I fell asleep.
“Hey.” I turn to see Reed lying opposite me, on the other couch, playing with a faded Rubik’s cube.
“Where’s Alex?” I ask, my mouth dry.
“Sleeping. I took him to his room.” I prop myself up on my elbows, squinting across at him.
“You’ll ruin your eyes, you know,” I admonish.
“Yes, Mom,” I hear the chuckle and I smile in the dark.
“Do you want something to eat? I made some sandwiches.” He gestures at the table on which is a plate of what looks like curling jam sandwiches.
“You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble,” I remark drily, and he laughs, throwing the Rubik’s cube aside and regarding me steadily.
“Don’t knock ’em till you’ve tried ’em, Tiny.” Pretending to be summoning up my courage, I pick one up and take a tiny bite.
“Mmm, delicious!”
He launches himself across the room in a blur and grabs me, ignoring my shriek of protest and pins me down on the sofa.
Laughing, I try to escape his grip, but it’s no use, he is stronger than I am.
Grabbing another sandwich, he shoves it under my nose.
“You need to keep up your strength, Sexy Bex. I think you should eat up.” He crams the sandwich against my closed mouth and I turn my head left and right, holding my breath.
“I took a lot of trouble making these,” he says, trying in vain to shove it into my mouth, and eventually he gives up. He holds up the messy remains and shakes his head dolefully.
“What a waste.” He tosses it back on the plate and grins down at me. I am lying along the sofa and he is sitting beside me, my legs slung over his, his arm resting along the back of the sofa.
Slowly, his smile fades and his expression turns thoughtful, as though he is considering something.
I know exactly what he’s contemplating, and without any hesitation, I lift my arms and bring his head down to meet mine.
He is momentarily astonished that I have initiated the kiss but, being Reed, he recovers quickly. He nips my lower lip playfully and his arms come around me, lifting my body ever so slightly, so that he can hold me properly in his arms. He makes me feel as fragile as a doll despite my many talents. I feel normal with him, possibly because he is just like me, probably stronger, although I would never admit it to his face.
Eventually, with a sigh, he pulls his arms out from under me and pushes my shoulders gently back until I am once again lying down. My chest is rising and falling rapidly, and his gaze lingers there for a while before he meets my eyes.
“I’d better get going,” he says unexpectedly, and I am momentarily stunned. Reed is a physical creature, he is not one to take the moral high ground, particularly when I have initiated the situation.
“Okay.” He helps me up and we make our way to the front door.
“Rebecca,” he turns to face me, “this is not me. You know that. This whole thing between us? I don’t know what it is. I don’t like it. It’s unfamiliar territory. But the way I feel? About you? Well, let’s just say I’ve never felt this way before, about anyone. You drive me crazy. You get under my skin.” I raise my eyebrows at him and he clarifies, “In a good way, obviously.”
“Nice to know,” I tease.
“I would follow you anywhere, you know that?”
“Even to hell and back?” He ruffles my hair and drops a kiss on the top of my head.
“Isn’t that where we’re going?”
Chapter 6
On Wednesday afternoon we have our final strategy meeting in the Gold Room. There are ten of us heading for Dodge City: myself, Reed, Morgan, David for his knowledge of the tunnels, Marcus Clark and Gabe Hunter, our ballistics experts, three Gifted Legion soldiers, Jethro, Brett and Tim, and Veronica, who will be in charge of food and provisions. I think Veronica would volunteer for anything, no matter how dangerous, just to be rid of the General for a few days. Kwan wanted to accompany us, but it is vital that his training programme for the new Gifted soldiers should not be interrupted. Remarkably, in less than a week, six men have undergone the procedure, three for speed, and three for strength. Even more surprisingly, all six survived. The General’s smug “I told you so” attitude is a small price to pay for the lives of these brave volunteers.
“I should be going,” Michael’s dejected voice cuts across the table as we exami
ne the blueprints that David has laid out for us.
“I’m sorry, Michael,” I apologise, “but Kwan needs you here to help with the training.” He sees through my flimsy excuse but I will not put Michael in harm’s way if I can help it. He is still underage, regardless of his ability.
The plan is to make our way back to the Toledo camp. From there, we will enter the States through Michigan, via the Ottawa Creek. The crossing is only a little more than 500 yards. Once within the States, we will head west towards Chicago. David is fairly confident we can access the old underground tunnels near the Chicago River, where we will camp out and make our final plans. If we succeed in destroying the NUSA lab we’ll backtrack and make our way home the same way.
“How do you plan on blowing up the lab?” the General asks, once we have mapped our journey, which is more than 2000 miles each way. I turn to Gabe and Marcus, our specialists. The two men, both in their mid-thirties, have been best friends since childhood. Neither possesses any Gifted abilities but they are experts at their craft. They have been studying and practising the art of making improvised explosive devices since their school days. Gabe and Marcus outline their plan for the pipe-bombs that they have designed for the purpose of our mission – tightly sealed sections of metal pipe filled with explosive materials.
“The containment of the pipe allows for a relatively large explosion, considering the simple, low explosives we have available,” Marcus begins.
“We’ll carry all the materials with us. The best place to construct the bombs will be in the tunnels themselves,” Gabe adds.
“Why can’t you make them here?” the General asks.
“Too risky,” Marcus answers. “The explosive mixture is very prone to ignition by friction, and I wouldn’t advise travelling two miles, let alone two thousand, with such a volatile explosive. Even when we’re packing the material inside the tubes or attaching the end-caps, there is the risk of premature detonation.”
“Learned that the hard way, did you?” Reed drawls, eyeing the two missing fingers on Marcus’s left hand.
“That explosive was fifty times smaller than what we are attempting here,” Gabe interjects solemnly and everyone is silent for a minute.
The Legion Page 5
