“You made it,” Calvin said hoarsely, “You made it.”
There was a grinding sound of metal on metal as the entrance to the building started to roll open, and she turned to see Max sprinting towards them, glowing bright red with murderous intent. They ran across the street towards the alley, footsteps hot on their heels. Calvin turned to see Max closing in on them, and stopped to place himself between her and the enraged man.
Out of nowhere, Jarod came roaring between them on his bike, hitting Max in the back of the head with a bag of take-out food. The big man went flying, landing hard in the middle of the street. Jarod skidded to a stop and spun the bike around, making Max roll across the spilled milkshakes to avoid his second pass.
Calvin made it to his bike and Caledonia jumped on behind him, clinging to him as they peeled out onto the dark city streets. She turned back to see Layla’s pale face in the window, watching her new friend make the escape that she could only dream of.
Caledonia burrowed into Calvin’s back and held on tight.
Max groaned, wincing with pain as he struggled to get up, swearing that if he ever saw her again he’d kill her. He rose from the pavement, dripping with goo and clutching his broken wrist.
Starting right now, the old man was gonna pay dearly for this one.
~
Chapter Twenty Five – FUGITIVES
~
They drove away fast, Calvin’s powerful motorcycle weaving in and out of traffic. After a few minutes they were joined by Jarod, who signaled for them to pull over. The two bikes turned off the main road, finally stopping to park on a quiet residential street.
Calvin swung off the bike, running his hands up and down Caledonia’s arms as if to inspect her for damage. “Are you okay?” he asked, brushing her hair back from her face to lean in and search her eyes.
“I am now,” she said, touching his face. “You found me.” He kissed her, and she could taste his sweet relief mingling with her own. He pulled her close with a heavy sigh, and she was enveloped by the kaleidoscope of their shared emotions. Love, worry, and happiness mingled together, all overpowered by an intense violet relief.
Jarod cleared his throat, “Hey Cali, you alright?”
She looked up with a smile, “Yes. You have perfect timing.”
“You’re not gonna believe how she got out of there,” Calvin said, smiling for the first time in days.
“Let’s go home and you can tell me all about it over a beer,” Jarod grinned.
“No,” Calvin shook his head, keeping her tucked in close to his body. “We’re gonna take off from here. We’re going where nobody can find us.”
“Aww c’mon… We can figure something out. We’ll be ready for those guys if they come back around… Maybe Cali can stay at Crystal’s place for a while…”
“No way,” Calvin was adamant. “We’re leaving. We’ll come back after Cali’s birthday.” He looked around the gloomy city streets suspiciously.
Jarod sighed, stepping forward to clap his brother on the back and give Cali a bear hug. “Take good care of him,” he spoke in her ear. She nodded solemnly.
They promised Jarod they’d call when they could, waving goodbye to him as he pulled away. Calvin zipped open the pack on his bike and extracted two helmets, helping her into an extra leather jacket without commenting on her unusual attire. They had the rest of their lives to talk about what happened. For now, he was anxious to get her as far away from the professor and his goons as possible.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, giving her one more kiss before they climbed back onto his motorcycle and sped away.
After a couple of hours on the road they pulled up to a motel that faced out over the freeway. Calvin swung off the bike and stretched his sore arms, “How are you doing?”
She stretched too, “I’m fine. Are we stopping here?”
“We should get some rest so we can get an early start. Wait right here while I get us a room.” Calvin looked around suspiciously, “If anyone comes, I want you to hide, okay?”
She nodded, “Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
When they were safely locked away in their room Caledonia excused herself to take a long hot shower, discarding the clothes she wore in the wastebasket. She washed away all the fear and anxiety of the past few days, purposefully sending it down the drain along with the soapy water. She stepped out and slipped into a shirt from Calvin’s bag, imagining how horrified the professor would be to see her now; the thought made her smile at herself in the mirror.
She came out of the bathroom to find Calvin pacing at the window, anxiously peeking through the drapes every time the flash of a headlight passed by. Caledonia could see how tired he was, and she came up behind him to encircle him in her arms, “You need to rest.”
He turned to look into her calm eyes and let his guard down with a sigh, allowing her to lead him to the bed. He sat down and kicked off his boots, laying back while she snuggled up to him, listening to his heartbeat with her ear pressed to his chest.
He kissed the top of her head. “I was so scared. I still can’t believe you climbed down on bedsheets….” He chuckled, his chest gently shaking her head, “That was like something out of a cartoon.”
She looked up, “Let me guess… Doofy Duck?
“Donald,” he sounded tired.
“Doofy Donald?” she asked.
He smiled wearily, too fatigued to try and explain, “I love you Cali.”
She crawled up to whisper in his ear, “I know.”
Calvin’s eyelids were growing heavy, and she could tell he was fighting to stay awake. She stroked the dark hair back from his forehead, kissing his tired brow.
“It’s okay now. Go to sleep,” she whispered.
“Promise you’ll be here when I wake up,” he mumbled.
“Cross my heart,” she said softly, watching him drift off.
She pulled the blankets up around him, shuddering with a sudden overwhelming happiness. She put all of her doubts behind her, deciding to believe, without any reservations, that everything would be fine. At that moment all was right in the world, and she laid her head down beside his, watching him until she fell asleep too.
Sometime in the middle of the night Calvin woke up and clung to her, desperate for reassurance. “Oh man, I thought you were gone,” he groaned in her ear. “I was so scared.”
They came together tenderly, overcome by the joy of their reunion. Caledonia calmed him with her every touch, feeling his fear slip away as his confidence strengthened. She was happier than she’d ever been, soothing him and taking her comfort from his relief. He finally burrowed his face into her neck and fell back to sleep, his body still entwined with hers.
The bright sun streaming through a crack in the drapes woke him up, and he jumped out of bed, racing to the window to look outside. Relieved to see nothing amiss, he turned back to see Caledonia still curled up sleeping, her wrists tucked under her chin. He climbed back under the covers, arranging himself around her with a satisfied sigh.
He swore to himself he’d never sleep apart from her ever again, remembering how awful it had been to wake up and find her missing. He wanted to let her sleep, but he was unable to resist kissing her shoulder, trailing his lips across her soft skin, following the curve of her neck.
Her eyes opened, and she stirred, stretching as luxuriantly as a cat, “Mmm… Good morning.”
“It is,” he said, kissing her ear and making her giggle.
She rolled over to look at him, and he was struck by the beauty of her clear eyes in the morning light. “What are we going to do now?” she asked.
“I have an idea,” he said, rolling over on top of her.
“Oh really?” she laughed, “I can tell.”
~
They pulled up to a small-town feed store, greeted by the suspicious stares of a few old men populating a bench out front. They all had the weather-beaten faces and bowed legs of retired ranchers, and they eyed the scruffy looking bikers suspi
ciously. Calvin filled the gas tank while Caledonia went in, nodding and smiling at the men, encasing them in a potent cloud of disarming aqua tranquility.
She went to the clothing section, picked out some jeans and boots, and changed into them in the dressing room. When she came out of the store, Calvin was bent over a map spread out on the bench, listening politely as two of the old men argued about the relative merits of one roadside restaurant over another.
He looked up to see her and smiled wide, making her heart skip a beat. He was even more handsome than he was the first time she’d laid eyes upon him, because now his colors were very different. His cocky nervous energy was gone, replaced by a confident and purposeful rosy peach that was growing pinker as he looked her up and down.
“You look like a cowgirl,” he said.
Then they were back on the road, wind in their faces and Caledonia’s hands gripping his waist. She rubbed his stomach, laughing into his back when she felt his muscles clench and quiver. His colors grew saturated, intensifying to the deepest and sweetest hues she’d seen yet. She pressed her face into Calvin’s back, perfectly satisfied.
She was back on a journey into the unknown, navigating a world full of danger, only this time, she wasn’t alone. The future ahead of them was uncertain, but neither one of them cared. They were in love, they were together, and for now, that was all that mattered.
They were heading south.
~
~
Epilogue
~
“What is taking so long? I need you to get moving! I must have her back immediately!” Professor Reed screeched, leaping to his feet when Max appeared in his office.
The big man took a seat, unbuttoning his coat with his good hand and settling in with an air of insolence, “I’m glad to be rid of her.”
The old man was so agitated he was practically jumping up and down, “Hire more staff if you need to, but I want her back right away or else–”
“Or else what?” Max asked, a challenge in his voice. He leaned back in his chair.
Reed sat down, struggling for composure. When he spoke his voice was menacing, “You imbecile… What kind of security operation are you running?”
Max looked disgusted, “You really are a crazy old coot, aren’t you?”
The professor was taken aback, not used to such blatant disrespect from his staff. He paused for a moment, finally asking, “What about the women… Have you procured them for me?”
Max leaned forward with an evil smile, “There’s been a little change of plans. I’m no longer working for you.”
Professor Reed looked at him incredulously, “Are you serious? Is this about money?”
Max threw his head back with a laugh; he’d been waiting for this moment for a long time. He pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and drawing deeply. He calmly explained to the professor that he’d drained the bank accounts and was going to be leaving, taking Layla and Michael with him.
“You probably should have been a little nicer to that boy… He’s been a big help to me. I know all about how you’ve been running your scams, and now that I’ve got the accounts… I don’t need you at all now… Do I?”
The professor gasped as the enormity of his mistake was revealed, “Layla would never betray me…”
“Oh, but she has no choice in the matter. She’ll be working for me now…. And you can rest assured that I’ll be putting her talents to much better use than you ever did.”
The professor frantically logged onto his computer, checking his accounts; his face blanched. He reached for the phone with a shaking hand and his eyes flew open with shock when he found the line had gone dead.
Max stood up, “I’m going to need you to stay in your office until we clear out. Don’t worry about the twins,” he snarled. “You won’t be seeing either one of them ever again.” He buttoned his coat and reached over to grind his cigarette out on the desk, nodding towards the big man standing just outside the door. “Joe will be keeping an eye on you for me.”
Max smiled again, clearly enjoying the professor’s shocked reaction. He left the room without saying goodbye.
Professor Reed dropped his head into his hands. He had made a fatal error; he should never have told Max how to avoid being manipulated by the Athena effect. He wouldn’t have needed to know if it wasn’t for the mission to collect Caledonia… And now she was gone forever.
His servant had become his master.
“When you lie down with dogs…” he whispered.
He slid his desk drawer open and pulled out a picture. It was a group photo of the first research subjects smiling happily. They all looked very young, and so did he, standing with a smile between David and Jenny. The thought occurred to him that his entire life’s work had been a waste, and his lips tightened into a thin line.
“NOOOOO…” he screamed, his voice cracking from the effort.
~
Layla was trapped in her room without so much as a new book to keep her company. The help refused to answer questions or make eye contact, and the corridor between her and Michael’s room was locked up tight. She nursed a bruised cheek and hurt feelings, thinking Teddy must really be angry with her to allow Max to get away with treating her so brutally.
Restless, she got up to look out through the bars of her window, wondering if she would have had the courage to climb down like Cali did. Maybe, she thought, if there was a boy blazing with passionate love waiting to take her away. She sighed, going back to the couch to re-read one of her old favorites.
A muffled scream echoed throughout the building, and she sat up, straining to listen. She heard a door slam shut, followed by an eerie silence. She frowned, settling back down to return to her book.
Before too long, she was lost in the story.
~
THE END
~
~
Look for the sequel to “The Athena Effect”, due out in 2013
“The Mackenzie Legacy”
~
Other books by Derrolyn Anderson:
“Between The Land and the Sea”
“The Moon and the Tide”
“The Fate of the Muse”
“The Turning Tides”
~
www.derrolyn.com
The Athena Effect Page 25
