by Elodie Colt
“Anytime,” he interrupted me, his gaze as intense as before. I didn’t know what made me more uncomfortable, staring into his eyes or at his chest? I decided to direct my eyes to the floor instead—it was safer.
“You were there for me when I couldn’t take it anymore. I completely broke down, and I took it all out on you. I’m sorry that I put you in an uncomfortable situation.” Thinking back to last night, I could still feel his hands on me when I lay cradled in his arms, could still feel his strong heartbeat pounding against my cheek. I hadn’t felt that safe in a long time.
“You didn’t. I know what it’s like when it happens. I’m just glad I was there to get you out.” He frowned, and it looked as if he was lost in a painful memory.
“Yeah, about that… What were you thinking to jump from the third story? You could have gotten killed.” Even thinking about what could have happened to him gave my heart a painful stab. It was pure luck he came away with just a few scratches—Fighter or not.
“We could have all died if I hadn’t done what I had to do,” he simply stated.
He was right, of course. I’d felt the enormous amount of power surging through my body, as if I were kick-started with the force of a defibrillator. What if Dylan hadn’t been there to get me out of the Bluster? What if we’d been standing in another room without the option of escaping with a three story jump downward?
Putting a hand to my mouth, I inhaled sharply when the realization hit me full force. I’d been so numb afterward, my brain hadn’t caught up to what nearly had been all our doom. So many things could have gone wrong…
“Hey, don’t do that,” Dylan spoke softly and stepped closer, watching my inner turmoil. He took my hand, tugging it gently away from my mouth, and noticed me biting my lower lip hard enough to break through the sensitive skin. With a frown, he put his thumb there and rolled my lip out of the painful bite. My mouth nearly started to tremble under his touch. If I compared the first time he’d ‘touched’ me to now…
“Do you remember when I was caught in the Bluster?” he asked me with his deep voice, dipping his head a little to be level with my eyes. He waited until I nodded, his thumb still lingering on the outer corner of my mouth. It weakened my focus on what he was saying. “We’re all ticking time bombs in that mental state, but you got me out of it last time, putting yourself in the same danger. And may I remind you, your strategy was just as… unconventional,” he added with a playful undertone. I smiled at the memory, and he smiled back at me. Satisfied, he let his hand drop, and I instantly missed his warm touch.
“Okay, um… there’s something else. I wanted to apologize for slapping you,” I mumbled in shame, barely able to look at him. Dylan had saved my ass so many times, and this was me showing my gratitude?
Instead of the angry retort I’d expected to receive, Dylan just huffed a laugh, dragging one hand from his neck to his shoulder. My eyes followed the movement with keen interest. The urge to follow that touch over his well-defined trapezius muscle was nearly impossible to tame.
“I’ve gone through worse, Haylie.”
It suddenly struck me how often he used my first name now when talking to me. Whenever it rolled over his tongue, I found myself struggling with mixed emotions. It sounded as if he was chanting a prayer, reaching a spot deep within me, a spot no one had ever discovered.
“Yeah, but I didn’t mean to do it. I’ve never ever slapped anyone before. I don’t know what got into me.”
He gave me a mischievous smile. “Well, I’ve never been slapped, either, so that was a first for both of us. I guess I deserved it. I handled the situation badly. So, I think we’re even.”
“Okay, I’m glad that’s settled then.” I smiled and made my way to the door to leave. If I stayed one minute longer in this room, I’d jump him, throw him onto the bed, and show him what Lauren had advised earlier I should do.
“Do you feel strong enough for another training session today?” Dylan asked, dragging me away from my naughty fantasies.
“Sure,” I answered and left the room, Dylan’s intoxicating scent still lingering in my nose. Maybe I’d just taken the first step to uncomplicate things. Lauren would be proud of me.
“A woman knocked on my door, so I went to open it,” Lauren explained when we were all gathered in the meeting room. “She greeted me, and before I could blink, she had me by my throat.”
Jimmy had given Lauren a crash course on the subject of Roes and told her about Aitana being a Racer. It explained how she’d been able to escape so fast the night they killed Shawna.
“Then she grabbed my phone and called Haylie.”
“I thought it was Lauren on the phone,” I continued with the story, “but when I heard the voice on the other end, I immediately knew who it was. I could never forget that voice.” I took a moment to gather my composure. That voice had haunted me so many nights. “She told me to come alone and not tell anyone about where I was going, or she’d kill Lauren. What was I supposed to do? She already killed Shawna, and I had no doubt she would do it again.” I threw my hands in the air in desperation and started pacing around the room, too restless to sit still.
“You could have been killed, Haylie,” Jimmy argued for the third time since the meeting started.
“Lauren could have been killed. I, at least, have some training and know about the danger out there.”
“Each of us would have done the same, Jimmy,” Chris came to my defense. “We’ve just never been in this type of situation before.”
“They wouldn’t have killed me, Jimmy. They wanted me alive.” I played nervously with my bracelets. My scars had started to itch again.
“I don’t know if that should bother or relieve me,” Jimmy mumbled as an afterthought before asking with curiosity, “How did you know the way out of the cemetery? It runs for miles in every direction. You’ve never been out there on your own.”
That was the question I’d been dreading. Or maybe not the question, but the answer to follow.
“Aitana told me over the phone. She knew the way. You know what that means…” I concluded, lifting my eyes from under my lashes to give him a knowing look.
It meant the location of the compound was no longer a secret, maybe hadn’t been for a long time.
“They could have tracked your GPS over Lauren’s phone,” Scott suggested.
I shook my head. “They know where the compound is. Jimmy,” I cautioned, “nobody is safe here anymore.” I waited until Jimmy lifted his eyes to look at me and placed my hands on the table’s surface before placating, “Not as long as I’m here.”
“What are you saying?” Dylan suddenly asked with caution, squaring his shoulders. He hadn’t said a single word until now, as usual the quiet listener until the end. Catching my gaze, he dipped his head slightly, as if trying to read my mind. I hoped he wouldn’t make this more difficult than it already was. Actually, he should be relieved I was offering to leave, considering he never wanted me here in the first place. The thought sent a jolt of pain through my heart, but I swallowed it down, collecting the courage I needed for what I was going to say next.
“I can’t stay. You brought me here to get me to a safe place, to a place they didn’t know about. But they know where I am, and they know the compound’s location. They will come for me, and if I don’t cooperate, they will come for somebody else,” I pointed out with a fearful glance at Lauren. I would do everything in my power to prevent them from getting their hands on her again. No one would touch her—not as long as my heart was still beating.
“If you’re not safe here, then you won’t be safe anywhere else. You’re staying,” Dylan declared, and with the way he said it, it sounded close to an order.
“But Dylan, think about this for a second—”
“You’re staying,” he repeated more forcefully. This time, the warning undertone was hard to miss, and he dared me to object with a hard glare.
I eyed him with a frown. I knew Dylan had a certain status here,
but wasn’t Jimmy the one in charge?
“Dylan is right,” Jimmy agreed much to my surprise. The compound’s safety was his priority. I would have expected him to share my point of view. “I already requested help from Serena. They will provide us with security guards who can help us out.”
“So, they know about Haylie?” Sarah asked.
“I had to tell them. I couldn’t keep her a secret any longer,” Jimmy confessed in an apologetic tone.
“What are you talking about?” I wanted to know.
“The government. Serena Stokes is responsible for the Department of Roe Security,” Jimmy enlightened me, and I remembered Scott telling me about the government helping out with funds.
“Should I be afraid of them?”
“No. They are on our side, obviously, but the fewer people who know about you, the better.”
I nodded in acceptance. If Jimmy trusted them, I would, too.
“They knew about her ability,” Chris redirected the conversation to the main topic. “Aitana knew what Haylie was able to do.”
Jimmy exhaled loudly. “Yes, that’s what concerns me the most. I guess there’s only one explanation.”
Sarah jerked her head in Jimmy’s direction as if she knew what he was going to say. “No way. You think we have a mole in here?” Jimmy stalled for an answer. “But that would mean one of us is working with them! Who the hell would do that?”
A few minutes of silence followed. Everybody brooded over the question of who could be the traitor, but even me, who knew my compound companions for only a few months, wouldn’t suspect any of them.
“Cassie?” Jared implied, and we all swung our heads in his direction.
“No. I vouch for her,” Jimmy immediately responded, but everyone eyed him dubiously.
“Jimmy, think rationally. Cassie has been missing for days, and she didn’t tell anyone where she is staying. Plus, she’s the only one holding a grudge against Haylie,” Chris tried to reason with him.
“She texted me a few days ago that she was staying with her sister like Dylan assumed,” Jimmy replied. “She told me she needed some time alone, and she would come back when everything has settled down. This is still her home.”
Chris snorted, apparently not sharing Jimmy’s empathy.
“This doesn’t get us anywhere,” Dylan threw in. “Let’s install more cameras in the cemetery. We can’t cover the entire place, but a few more won’t hurt. Position guards and scouts out there night and day.”
“Yes, we should do that,” Jimmy agreed, taking notes on the sheet in front of him.
“What about Lauren? She can’t go back to her house,” I threw in.
“Lauren can stay here, of course.” Jimmy turned to face Lauren. “I can’t force you if you don’t want to, but I’d strongly suggest you stay with us for a while.”
“I would like that very much, thank you.”
“Lauren, you can’t work at Joey’s anymore. At least, not for now,” I pointed out.
“I know. I have enough cash stashed away. Is there any possibility I can take a few things from my house, though?” Lauren directed at Jimmy.
“Of course. I already organized a clean-up team for today. The windows are broken, remember?” Jimmy reminded us unnecessarily but with a meaningful glance in Dylan’s direction. Dylan didn’t show any reaction. “We wouldn’t want to keep it that way. You can join them and pack what you need. I already have a vacant room, and I know that, technically, you’re not one of us, but Scott offered for you to join his class if you would like to get some training and other lessons.”
Lauren smiled and threw Scott a grateful look. “That would be great, thanks.”
The idea of Lauren getting involved didn’t sit well with me, but I guess it was already too late. Maybe it would be good for her to know how to defend herself.
“Okay, I think everything’s settled, then.”
“Wait, I have one more question,” I interrupted Jimmy who stopped mid-action within the motion of rising from his chair.
“The reason I got in the Bluster was because Aitana said something about my mother. She said she was looking forward to seeing me dying the same way my mother had. I thought maybe you knew something about that.” I doubted Jimmy had any knowledge about how my mother died, but something flashed over his face that betrayed him. Puzzlement? Fear?
“What do you know?” I urged him on, already afraid I wouldn’t like what he was about to say.
“I don’t know anything with a hundred percent certainty, but… You told us she died in Hurricane Marlene, right? Well, some Roe witnesses claimed to have seen a woman with jaylior eyes standing in the middle of it when it hit home.”
My heart stopped beating for a second, and I switched gazes between Dylan and Chris, searching for help. Both averted their eyes.
“What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything,” Jimmy spoke calmly, but his secretiveness made me angry.
“Jimmy, please!”
He sighed heavily, but it was Dylan who answered. “We think she was the cause, but we don’t have enough evidence to know for sure.”
“The cause of what?” I asked, my pulse doubling its rate.
“For the hurricane.”
I gnashed my teeth. “Why do you suspect my mother?”
“The chances of another Natural in the same place at the same time would be too much of a coincidence.”
I refused to believe him. My mother could have caused a natural catastrophe that took thousands of lives? No, it couldn’t be. Not her. Not the woman I remembered who was kind and loving.
My limbs started to tremble, and I sunk into the chair behind me, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts. “No. You’re wrong,” I stated in a deadpan voice.
“Haylie…” Dylan started, but I threw him a warning glare.
“No!” I shot back, making Dylan grind his jaw.
“We don’t think she did it on purpose,” Jimmy threw in. “The ability to control air or creating storms is a dangerous one. She was old enough to be very powerful, and if she lost control that day…” Jimmy trailed off, leaving the end of the story hanging in the air.
“But how would Aitana know? Do you think they had something to do with her death?” I curled my fingers until my hands were fisted. No way could that bitch be responsible for three deaths in my family, my father included.
“I honestly can’t tell you. Nothing makes any sense.”
This was when red spots appeared in front of my vision, and my surroundings faded to a dark gray. Anger started to consume me, and I closed my eyes and shook my head to shake it off before it could—
“Breathe,” Dylan’s voice soothed me from only inches away. How fast had he crossed the room to get to me? I hadn’t even noticed him rising from his chair.
Then, I felt his strong hands on either side of my face. Clenching my teeth, I focused solely on the deep timbre of his voice. “Come back to me,” came his next command, but so low that nobody except Catchers would have heard what was meant for me.
The way these words were spoken caused a snap inside my brain. Opening my eyes, I saw soft, appion ones staring back at me. He held my gaze, waiting for me to calm down. After he was assured it was safe to let me go, he stepped back. The entire room was silent, and everyone was trying to catch our silent communication, but before anyone could say anything, the door burst open, and Phil rushed in.
“Cassie’s back,” he announced in excitement, leaving us all dumbstruck. “She just entered the compound.”
“Thanks for the update, Phil,” Jimmy said and waited until Phil left to direct us. “None of you will make any hint about what we were just talking about here, whether Cassie is guilty or not. She is not our enemy,” he added for good measure. I remained silent, despite my urge to counter. I didn’t suspect Cassie to be the mole, either, but I was also far from trusting the annoying blonde.
When Cassie finally arrived, she stopped on the threshold, waiting for
us to judge her. No signs of the narcissistic and arrogant woman I’d known Cassie to be were visible. Her stance was self-conscious but not snobbish, her gaze careful and calculating. Her hair was still blonde, but I swear it was a few shades darker. Instead of wearing her usual heavy makeup, she’d just applied some mascara and a natural shade of lip gloss. There was no black eyeliner circling her eyes, and no pink rouge highlighting her cheekbones. In front of me stood the same, yet a completely different woman than I knew. I risked an uncertain glance at Dylan, and the frown on his face confirmed my suspicions that he was thinking the same.
Cassie bit her lip nervously, clueless as to what judgment awaited her.
“Cassie, it’s so good to have you back.” Jimmy stood up to greet her before addressing the rest of us. “Please leave us. I want to talk to Cassie alone.”
We all stood up without another word, and Cassie backed sideways to let us pass. When Dylan passed her, she didn’t spare him a glance, which was rather uncommon for her, and I swear I noticed a vein trembling in her jaw.
With a hand tight around her waist, I watched Chris walking Lauren outside. Not that I would have anything against the two of them together, but I hadn’t forgotten about the kiss Chris and I had shared not too long ago. The last thing I wanted was for Lauren to become his puppy whenever he needed to boost up his Fighter testosterone.
“Give me a minute,” I said to Dylan and jogged forward to catch up with them. “Hey, can I talk to Chris for a second?” I asked Lauren who nodded. Chris stopped, staring after Lauren as she walked away with Sarah.
“Don’t hurt her,” I warned him, and Chris gave me a frown.
“What are you talking about?”
“Lauren. I know you kissed me because you wanted to test the Connection with me, but I don’t want you to play with her. She doesn’t deserve it.”
Chris needed a moment to catch up before his face lit up with one of his dazzling smiles. “Haylie, you’re a Natural, and yes, I wanted just to taste you once, and I don’t regret it. But I didn’t play with you, and I wouldn’t play with Lauren, either. I promise.” Just taste you once. So, there weren’t any hidden feelings, I realized with relief.
