“And Kate? Did you find her?”
“No. She wasn’t at the warehouse and I don’t think Ariana has her either.”
“What makes you say that?” Nathaniel asks him.
“If Ariana had Kate she would’ve used her as leverage, but she didn’t.”
It isn’t easy to hear Gage speak of my mother in such a way. Though I know that, like Nathaniel, my mother has blood on her hands, I’m holding onto the hope that she won’t do anything to harm the people I love.
“We need to find Kate,” I tell them both. “Lyla must be going crazy by now.”
“Mercy, there’s not much you can do in your condition,” Gage says to me.
“Actually, Mercy is quite useful this way. She can slip around unnoticed,” Nathaniel tells him.
“What if she breaches again? It’s too risky. She has no control,” Gage points out.
“I won’t let that happen,” Nathaniel says forcefully.
But Gage is not deterred. “How? By kissing her again?”
“If that’s what it takes.” Nathaniel’s lips pull up into a wicked grin.
Gage looks as though he could throttle Nathaniel. I step in and end this ridiculous discussion.
“Stop! Gage is right, Nathaniel. I don’t have a hold here. And I don’t want to breach any more bodies. I need to get back into mine.”
“But we have a better chance against The Assembled if you stay like this. They’ll never see you coming,” Nathaniel protests.
“You’re putting too much faith in me, Nathaniel. And if we’re not careful I could end up halfway around the world. And then what would you do?”
“I will find you wherever you are,” Nathaniel professes.
His assertion of feelings toward me makes me blush. Gage avoids eye contact with me.
“Go with Gage to the hospital,” I tell Nathaniel. “See if Kate is there, please.”
Gage’s brow furrows as a suspicious look contorts his face. “What are you going to do?” he asks me.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, I look at both of them when I say, “I’m going to see Ariana.”
I can see that both Gage and Nathaniel are about to protest. I don’t give them the chance.
“Please do this for me,” I ask them both. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Reluctantly, they agree, but they insist on escorting me to the hotel. It isn’t difficult for me to agree to this, especially after they remind me that The Assembled are out there somewhere looking for me.
We part ways at the elevator doors. The elevator rides all the way to the penthouse without stopping. For that I am grateful. Even though I know that no one can see me or hear me, I feel safer by myself. Gage is absolutely right that I have no control over my breaching.
About two feet from my mother’s hotel room door, I freeze. The surge of bravery I felt in the park dissipates and reality sets in. For the first time in six years, I am about to come face to face with my mother.
As I close in on the hotel room, every inch of me begins to vibrate with fear. It’s not just that I’m about to see my mother again. Something about the whole scene feels wrong. The door is slightly ajar. This alone should’ve told me to run, but like an idiot girl in a slasher movie, I press on. I’ve come this far and I can’t just turn around and leave because I’m scared.
Carefully, I toe the door open with the front of my shoe and step inside. The room is in shambles. Tables are toppled, drapes torn, couches overturned; it’s clear that a fight has taken place.
Just beyond the first couch a shoe pokes out. Edging closer I see a rather large man lying on the floor face down. His face is smashed in and blood leaks out of his ears, his mouth, and what’s left of his nose. The entire sight turns my stomach and I have to avert my eyes.
Beyond the main room there are double doors, which I assume lead to a bedroom. They’re wide open and the bedroom is in the same condition as the main room. It’s a disaster. Another body is on the floor with much the same look as the first one.
Next to the bed are medical supplies, monitors, and IV stands with half-used bags of fluid hanging from them. If my body had been here, it’s long gone now. I’m beginning to think that I will never find my body.
To the left of the bed there’s blood splatter all across the walls. Only there isn’t a body. My mother is nowhere in sight. If this blood is hers, she isn’t in good shape.
I hear a noise coming from the living room. Quickly I duck to hide behind the doors. The intruder is a woman with sharp features and the slickest ponytail I’ve ever seen. Though I know I should be very worried for my safety, I can’t help thinking that Lyla would be seriously impressed with this lady’s fashion skills.
She inspects the room, careful not to actually touch anything or step in any blood. When she’s done, she turns in my direction.
“Hello, Mercy.”
Feeling sheepish, I stand.
“I’m your Aunt Isadora.”
I have an aunt? Could this possibly get any weirder? “Where’s my mother?”
“Dead, I hope.”
It’s impossible to hide my shock. “What?”
“She’s a criminal. She may have escaped our custody until now, but that is no longer the case. And when the interrogation is over, she’ll be disposed of, as she should have years ago.”
There’s no hint of remorse or compassion in her tone. She speaks of my mother as if she’s trash, easily discarded and forgotten about.
“You’re one of the Assembled?”
She smiles, but not in a friendly way. “I see Gage and Nathaniel have brought you up to speed.”
There’s no way I am going to give her any information. “I know enough.”
“You know nothing,” she replies.
Her green eyes are the same color as my mothers, but there’s no light behind them, no love. They are full of hate and spite. “You’re going to come with me.”
It is not a request.
Cursing myself for coming alone, I know I have two options, go with her or fight. Or maybe there’s a third option, if I’m stupid enough to try it.
Without knowing where I’ll end up or in whom, breaching seems like a ridiculous idea, but it might get me back to Nathaniel. He found me the last time, so there’s a chance that he’ll find me again.
But what if he doesn’t? And what if I can’t find a way to get out without killing the body? What if I only got lucky when it came to Lyla? There are so many reasons not to do what I’m about to do.
Both Nathaniel and Gage warned me about a Breachers instinct to survive. They explained that it’s a compulsion more than a virtue. They are right because what I feel inside me is a need so strong that it’s not to be ignored. Going with Isadora will lead to my death in one way or another, of that I’m sure and therefore, it isn’t an option.
There’s a chance I’ll win in a fight, but there’s a chance I’ll lose also. The only guarantee of my safety is to breach.
Lord, help me.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Gage
The hospital is much more crowded than it had been earlier so it’s easier to slip by unnoticed. Nathaniel and I do a quick check around and don’t find anything to be out of the ordinary.
We find Lyla, Jay, and Mercy’s father in the cafeteria. When Lyla spots me she jumps up and comes running.
“Did you find Mercy?”
Unsure of what to say to her, I pause for a second too long.
“Something’s wrong. I can tell. What is it?”
Lyla’s blue eyes are like crystals, hard and mesmerizing. Her dark hair frames her face in such a way that makes them practically pop from her face. Lyla is stunningly beautiful and I can only imagine how she uses her beauty to her advantage. It would be difficult to say no to a face like hers.
Studying her in such a way is odd for me, mostly because I’ve never taken the time to consider a human before I saw Mercy.
They were sort of faceless to me before, more like dots on a map, but now, I’m really beginning to see the world around me.
Not only am I seeing everything as if it were new, I am feeling them too. From Lyla’s expression I know that she’s concerned, but it isn’t just by her look, it’s the way she hunches forward, the way her shoulders are raised to her ears. Hope and worry emanate from her as she projects her feelings outward.
“Mercy is all right.” As far as I know. “She went to see her mother.”
“Her mother!” Lyla shakes her head. “I may never get used to that.” She turns her attention to Nathaniel. “Who are you?”
Nathaniel and I exchange a look. It’s better to keep things simple. “This is … ”
“I’m his brother,” Nathaniel interrupts.
Lyla seems satisfied with this answer. “What do we do now?”
I have absolutely no idea what to do, so I change the subject. “How’s Jay’s mom?”
“Mrs. Sheller is going to be fine, but she’ll have to stay in the hospital for a few days. Kate went home to get her things,” Lyla answers.
Kate! I’d almost forgotten that we were looking for her.
“So Kate wasn’t missing like we’d thought,” Nathaniel says.
“The battery in her cell died and she hadn’t checked it for messages.”
Nathaniel elbows me. “This is good news.”
“Right. Very good news,” I agree. Knowing Kate is safe will make Mercy happy.
By now Jay and Mercy’s father are watching us. We make our way over to the table and introductions are made.
“Gage,” Mr. Clare shakes my hand. “You were with my Mercy when … ” He trails off, unable to finish.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t talk to you sooner,” I tell him. It surprises me that I mean it.
It appears as though the Hunter method of handling things may not have been the most considerate way, which is why I take this opportunity to say to Jay, “I’m very sorry about your mother.”
“The police think it was a robbery,” Jay informs me.
Mr. Clare lets out the faintest of snorts. Lyla and Jay don’t notice anything, but Nathaniel and I both notice. Mr. Clare doesn’t think it was a robbery, which makes me wonder about Mr. Clare and what exactly he knows about his wife’s breaching.
“I’m glad she’s going to be okay,” I say. “My brother and I were concerned.”
“Deeply,” Nathaniel says with too much sarcasm.
Jay glares at Nathaniel and I think for a moment that Jay might lash out, but instead he breathes deeply and says, “I’m going to go check on my mom.”
“I’ll come with you,” Lyla offers.
Alone at the table with Mercy’s father, an uncomfortable and awkward silence fills the air.
Nathaniel leans across the table and says, “So, Eric, why don’t you tell us all you know about Ariana and Breachers.”
My head whips in his direction and I want to throttle him for being so tactless, but then I notice how Mercy’s father doesn’t even flinch.
“You know something,” I say to him.
Eric Clare slides deeper into the chair and folds his arms. He lets out a deep sigh.
“Look, we can do this the easy way,” Nathaniel begins, “or we can do this the fun way.”
I give Nathaniel a reproachful glare, then turn my attention back to Eric. “If you know something, you’re in danger. We can help you.”
Eric snorts. “Like you helped my little girl?”
I didn’t see that coming. By the way Nathaniel tenses, I know that he didn’t either.
“We are trying to help her,” I tell him.
Eric’s eyes narrow. “You are the reason this happened. Mercy was safe until you came along.”
Nathaniel’s jaw tightens and he looks like he could rage, but he keeps his composure.
“Mr. Clare, sir, Mercy and Ariana are together now,” I tell him. “Soon, Mercy will be back in her body and then everything will be right again.”
“The Assembled won’t let that happen. And you know it.”
Nathaniel and I look at each other. We both understand then that Mercy’s father knows everything. How or when Ariana told him the truth—that doesn’t matter now. What matters is that he knows. And that means he’s in jeopardy.
“I don’t understand,” Nathaniel begins. “If you knew, why didn’t you tell Mercy? Why did you leave her so vulnerable?”
Eric wipes his hand across his mouth. “There was no way to know if Mercy was a Breacher. So we hoped. I hoped. All I wanted was a normal life for my little girl. I didn’t want any of this for her.”
“I was trying to help her,” Nathaniel explains to him.
Anger seethes from Eric as he speaks. “Why do you think Ariana faked her death? Because she knew that her mere presence around Mercy might trigger this. But you? You just couldn’t stay away.”
As long as we are laying our cards on the table, I decide to correct him. “Ariana didn’t fake her death. I killed her.”
Eric shakes his head. “She let you kill her so that The Assembled would leave Mercy alone. With Ariana out of the picture, Mercy and I were free to try and live a normal life. We sacrificed everything to give Mercy a chance.”
Nathaniel hangs his head as he realizes what Eric is saying. Mercy was safe this whole time. The Assembled didn’t know what she was and so they weren’t hunting her. They brought Ariana back from the dead and used her. She went along with it to keep them away from Mercy. If Nathaniel hadn’t stepped in, none of this would’ve happened. And if I’d done my job, if I’d killed Nathaniel like I was supposed to, he wouldn’t have been around to find Mercy.
All along we were both trying to protect Mercy. But we’d done the exact opposite.
Nathaniel shoves back from the table and storms off. There will be time to chase him down, but for now I am unable to move.
“He didn’t,” I start. “I mean, we didn’t … We never meant for any of this to happen.”
“Please find my daughter and my wife before The Assembled do.”
He leaves me sitting there. Alone with my guilt, with my grief, I hold my head in my hands and squeeze, hoping it will stop the incessant pounding. How did everything get so out of hand?
This is all my fault. I’m the one who ultimately put Mercy in jeopardy. The guilt is relentless.
But maybe it isn’t too late to fix it. If Mercy and Ariana are together, they’re a force to be reckoned with. It’s possible they can take down The Assembled and set things right again. I need to get back to the hotel.
* * *
Nathaniel is there as I step off the elevator. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s on the same path.
“Something happened,” he tells me.
“What? What is it?” I try to move past him, but he holds me back. “Is it Mercy? Tell me!”
“I don’t know! There’s blood everywhere. Ariana’s goons are dead. There’s no body, no Ariana, no Mercy.”
“Son of a bitch!” I kick the wall as hard as I can.
Nathaniel grasps me by the shoulders and shakes me. “Gage! Look at me!” Reluctantly I obey. “We don’t know the worst has happened, so let’s focus and come up with a plan.”
He’s right. We need a plan. But nothing I can think of sounds even remotely possible. All roads lead to taking on The Assembled. Nathaniel knows it and so do I. The question is how.
“It’ll never work,” I say. “We’re not strong enough.”
“We’re not, but Mercy is.”
“What are you talking about?”
There’s conviction in his tone. “Think about it, Gage. Why else would they want her so badly? This isn’t about you, or me, or even Ariana. This is about Mercy. They fear her, which means—well, I don’t know exactly what it means, but we need to find out.”
Hearing Nathaniel say it, I have to admit there’s something to his theory. Why else would
The Assembled step in now? They knew where Ariana was and they knew Nathaniel is alive and yet they only made an appearance when Mercy became involved.
This means that there’s a very strong possibility that they haven’t killed her. If she has skills they think they can use, they’ll certainly try to manipulate her until they get their way. Just like they’d used me, they’ll use her. The question is, what for? What do they want from her?
“Where would they have taken her?” Nathaniel asks.
“I don’t know.”
“Think.”
Taking a moment to consider, an idea strikes me. “They would’ve taken her to the warehouse, but Ariana’s men destroyed it.”
“Is your warehouse the only one?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, little brother, with your team out of the way, The Assembled would’ve created more Hunters, which means they would’ve built a new warehouse.”
“It’s possible, I guess.”
It’s more than possible. That’s exactly the kind of thing they would do. But that isn’t what worries me. What worries me is how The Assembled will make new Hunters. If I was created from Nathaniel, that means that to stop Mercy, they’ll need to make a Hunter from her.
“They wouldn’t.”
“You’re not so sure about that are you?”
I’m not. The idea that The Assembled might pull from Mercy to create new Hunters sickens me. But Nathaniel has a point; it’s their M.O. We have to find their new warehouse and fast.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Mercy
There isn’t time for Isadora to stop me. I’m not even sure she realizes what I’m about to do before it’s too late. This time, when I jump, I feel like I splinter. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to put myself back together again. It’s difficult, but I manage to channel my energy in one direction. I still feel like I’m in pieces, but I have control over the swarm.
When I land, all the air escapes my lungs and I’m struck with the sudden urge to vomit. Checking myself over, I can see that I am exactly where I wanted to go, whom I wanted to be in: Kate.
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