She nodded. “They’re old friends.”
Old friends? Spalding was the scientist responsible for conducting experiments on hundreds, maybe thousands, of people from Nexus, her included. This didn’t sound right. There had to be something Honey had missed. “I don’t think so, Honey. Spalding’s a bad man who hurts people by experimenting on them.”
Tears collected inside her eyes. “No, I’m telling you the truth. She spoke to him as if they were old friends and shook hands at the end of every meeting.”
“This happened often?”
She nodded. “Please, just tell me you’ll take Basil with you and get him to Professor Spalding. If he’s not able to cure our condition, at least he can offer him a better home. White and I have heard about the Lottery, too. Maybe our child will be lucky enough to win someday.”
“The Lottery?” Iris echoed.
“Yeah, the Lottery is something that happens once a fortnight in the slums,” Fox offered. A dirty game of false hope for those desperate enough to take part, he added silently.
“What happens in this game?”
Honey answered, “People get the opportunity to win the Lottery and live in the higher levels of Nexus City. I’ve heard some people even get the opportunity to live in the Wentworth Corporation Tower.” Her eyes were wide, excited but still watering.
He’d lived inside the Tower all of his life and had never seen or met a single lottery winner. “The Lottery’s not what you think it is. It’s fiction—a one-way ticket to death.”
Honey shook her head. “No, no. Why are you trying to ruin every hope I’ve got left in this sad world? White and I wanted to escape, together.”
“So, come with us,” Iris said with a shrug. “We can’t take your child, but if you come, we might be able to help lead you to this Spalding guy. Or you could both win this Lottery.” She met his eyes.
He didn’t like the idea of adding numbers to the group, but he would agree to take the child if the baby’s mother was with them. He didn’t want to add babysitting to the ever-growing list of dangers and perils on this uncertain journey. When the hell had this become a journey? If only that damn service elevator hadn’t been destroyed!
Manic laughter tickled the back of his throat. Who was he trying to kid? The elevator had been purposely ruined to keep the evidence of his father’s betrayal hidden below. No one would ask any questions. No one would care.
Footsteps pounded behind them.
“We need to keep moving.”
“What’s wrong?” Iris asked when he grabbed her by the arm.
“Can’t you hear it?”
She stood still for a moment then nodded. “He’s tracked us down…already?”
It could just as easily be some other predator. These lower parts were full of them. He encouraged Honey to move ahead of them, since she knew the way.
Once inside the concrete stairwell, Fox stayed in the back, calling out for the two women to move ahead of him. They only needed to climb two levels.
Honey pulled open the stairwell door and took a step outside, when the door downstairs suddenly rattled off its hinges. Smoke rose from below.
“Quick, quick!” He nudged Iris to keep moving, but she’d stopped.
She stood still, staring at the last closed doorway on this floor. The only door left between them and the outside.
Iris slid out of his reach as the footsteps thumped closer.
Chapter Twenty
Iris knew danger lurked close behind, but she couldn’t fight the call. The wind whooshed against the door, gently whispering her name in a haunting lullaby.
The rush of voices she’d heard outside the basement returned in a whirlwind, making her head spin.
The pull of the outside overtook every other thought, and before she realized she’d moved, she stood in front of the door. With one hand pressed against the cool metal, and the other at her side, the commotion from below became nothing but background noise. She couldn’t walk away. She didn’t want to—not when freedom seemed only a step away.
I’m back at square one.
This is exactly where she’d been when Fox interrupted her initial plans inside the basement. Once again, the rain beat against the door, enticing her.
Iris closed her eyes and could see it splash and pool on the rooftop, trickling over the side of the building. Her skin prickled to feel it, but all she could do was keep her hand on the cool door and feel her body vibrate with the hum of the electric charge outside. The longer she concentrated on the storm, the more the clouds seemed to shift overhead. Moving so fast, it made her head spin.
Her arm jolted back when lightning struck the door, and everything in her mind disappeared with it.
The connection was broken, and her eyes snapped open.
Fox forcibly turned her to face him. “Iris, he’s almost here. We need to get the hell out while we’ve still got the chance.” The seriousness of the situation etched worry lines at the corners of his mouth. Honey stood beside him, her breath rapid. The bundle in her arms cried as the smoke from below thickened around them.
“I…” What am I trying to say? There was nothing to say.
Instead, she pushed past the deep craving she had inside her, trying to ignore it. She’d wanted to walk outside so badly. Her soul ached with the need to leave this building, even now. One of these days, she knew the calling would be so strong, she wouldn’t be able to resist it. Not even Fox’s presence would be a strong enough force to rip her away. Now wasn’t the time.
“Iris, are you okay?”
She managed a nod.
“Good.” Fox lowered his arms and headed for the other door—the one that would keep them inside the building. He opened it, ushered her and Honey inside, before slamming it behind them. He rushed off into the dark, returning with some sort of metal desk, which he propped at an angle against the ancient door handle. The door would hold for a while.
Iris looked up and met the eyes of the hunter. He stood on the other side of the door, face pressed against the square of glass on top. He sneered, and she noticed his mouth full of rotted teeth. His bald head was full of crisscrossing scars that continued all over his face. One dark eye met hers. The other, covered by some sort of black contraption clipped to his flesh, didn’t look at anything. He was hideous and scared the hell out of her.
Honey screamed and took a step back, hugging the baby closer to her chest.
“He can’t get us, but the desk won’t hold for long. Come on.” Fox grabbed each of them by the arm and led them down the dim corridor. Their feet moved fast, around the littered papers and pieces of rusting furniture at almost every step. Most of it was metal of some sort. The many doors lining the corridor were open but had become nothing more than dark cavities inside, although she thought she caught movement several times.
It’s probably more vermin.
“Where’s the connecting tunnel?” he asked Honey.
“Up ahead. We’re almost there.” She was out of breath, hugging her son tightly to her chest.
The fact that she held such a small and fragile life in her arms both terrified and fascinated Iris. This woman hadn’t thought twice about sacrificing her own life to get the child to safety. That was something she couldn’t wrap her mind around. Why leave the relative safety of Rue’s community to take her chances with some professor, or a Lottery? It didn’t make any sense, especially since she didn’t know much about either option.
A large opening appeared up ahead. This had to be the tunnel they were talking about. She couldn’t remember ever having been inside one.
Gunshots sliced the silence. Positive they wouldn’t make it out of this after all, they finally stepped into the connecting tunnel. An automatic door shut behind them.
“What’s going on?” she asked in surprise, looking around. They were inside a tunnel resembling a cylinder made out of glass. She could see the outside on both sides, up top, and even below their feet. Dizziness rushed through her when she fo
cused on the dark void below. They were in-between buildings.
She looked to her left, taking shallow breaths to get the blood pumping through her body.
“We’re safe in here for now, but we need to reach the other side,” Fox said.
“What?”
Fox leaned over to catch his breath. “Once the tunnel senses people inside, it seals itself off. Down here in the older buildings, there are no automated vehicles to get us across, so we’ll have to walk it. The automatic mechanism shuts off in both directions as soon as the sensors pick up movement. In other words, we’re temporarily sealed inside, from both ends. Until we reach the end, he can’t touch us.”
“Why?”
“It’s a safety precaution. In our case, it’s going to save our lives. This door won’t open until we get to the other end and access the other one.” He sounded confident, but doubt darkened his bright eyes.
She nodded. How fascinating and terrifying.
Gunshots bounced off the metal door as they started their walk toward the other side.
“Where will this lead?” Iris looked around as they moved, her heart slowing a little. Lights were blazing all around the city, mostly above. Dark clouds moved overhead, but not as fast as she’d envisioned them earlier. She stopped for a second, to press her hands against the glass, imagining all of that rain falling on her skin. She closed her eyes and thought about what it would feel like to wash away all the pain and worry. Somehow, Iris was convinced the rain could do that.
“It calls out to you, doesn’t it?” Fox was suddenly there, right behind her and almost whispering in her ear.
She gasped, not from fright but because of his proximity. She never wanted him to be more than an arm’s length away. Her heart sped up, in spite of having just slowed. What she would give to take a lungful of the oxygen outside.
Iris sighed, then nodded.
“Is it the outside that calls you or the rain?” The softness in his voice roused a shiver down her spine.
“I’m not sure.” She turned around slowly, and noticed Honey had continued down the long tunnel, whispering to the bundle in her arms. Iris suddenly felt sorry for her. It must be sad to have only a piece of the one you love, once they’ve been cruelly taken from you. As if it hadn’t been hard enough to live with White’s death. Now that Iris knew he had a partner and a child, it was almost unbearable.
It also made her realize just how strong her own feelings for Fox were. What would she do if he was suddenly killed during this ordeal?
Iris craned her neck to gaze into his wide, blue eyes. He was a beautiful man. She touched his face, enjoying the rough feel of his stubble against her fingertips. She ran them over his soft lips.
“You feel something, though. Don’t you?”
She nodded. “I want to feel the rain on my skin. I want to step out into it so badly.”
He shook his head and caught her wrist. “You can’t go out there. The air is toxic, and the rain is acidic. It would melt the skin right off your bones.”
All she could do was look at him as his hand drifted from her wrist and caressed hers. Iris couldn’t tell him that she’d already gotten a taste of the rain in the one short moment before he reeled her back inside the basement. Her skin hadn’t melted or burned. The air had felt purer than the artificial oxygen circulating inside the buildings they traveled, and her skin cleaner.
How can I tell him when he’s convinced it’s so dangerous out there? This has to be my secret for now. I’ll share it with him one day, but not today.
Instead, she just wanted to hear one thing from him. She took a deep breath, inhaling his now familiar scent, and spoke the words on the exhale. “Tell me you won’t leave me, Fox.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, but he didn’t take his eyes off hers. “I won’t leave you. I promise to stay by your side for as long as you want me to.” He opened her palm and kissed it. His lips were soft and moist against her skin.
She smiled and stood on tiptoes to press her mouth against his. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her into his arms so they could deepen the kiss. Her spine pressed against the glass, but she didn’t care.
Let the storm rage outside. She didn’t care what happened anywhere else, not while this man held her in his arms and promised to stay with her. For someone who’s past was locked away somewhere inside her head and she wasn’t even sure if she was entirely human, his acceptance of her meant the world.
She kept her eyes open, able to see the lightning illuminated behind her, but neither stopped the swirl of their tongues. Fox pressed the front of his body up against hers. Rain splashed on the glass from every side. She imagined being in the pouring rain as their desire was passionately unleashed.
Her lips felt swollen and bruised, when they eventually pulled away. Suddenly remembering they weren’t alone, but with a woman who’d lost her companion, made it easier for Iris to stop what she really wanted to do with Fox.
“Damn it,” he cursed as he lowered her feet to the floor. “One of these days, we’re going to have to finish this.”
All Iris could do was nod as he took her hand, and they continued their long walk down the corridor. Maybe, they should have run the length of the tunnel instead of wasting time in order to beat the hunter, but she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was hold his hand and stroll down this long stretch, separated from the world around them, for as long as she could.
Besides, hadn’t Fox mentioned something about the automatic doors opening simultaneously? By the time they reached it and were ready to open it, they’d have a head start and be able to shut the hunter in.
At least, I hope that’s what we’re going to do.
The rain continued. Steady drops drizzled down the sides of the curved ceiling like never-ending teardrops.
This was as happy as she could ever remember being.
Fox made her happy. He made her forget all the ugly things she knew she’d done. Forget the blood on her hands. Well, until the next time.
Chapter Twenty-One
As soon as the sensor on this end picked up their approach to the sealed door, Fox had detected the hunter’s advance. The bastard was already heading their way. Damn, we’re almost out of time!
“Hurry up! Get over the threshold before it closes,” he called to Iris and Honey. Neither of them hesitated and crossed over into the corridor awaiting them right away. Iris stood close to Honey, as if she wanted to shield her and the child.
Fox ran out just as the door closed once again. He turned to the mechanism on the wall. As soon as the hunter reached this end—and judging by the impact of his steps, it wouldn’t be long—this door would open. These older and mostly abandoned buildings were risky, but Fox was pretty sure he could temporary deactivate the automatic sensor. Not completely ruin it, but buy them some time by locking the hunter in for a while.
“What’s going on?” Iris asked behind him.
“Don’t worry about it. This won’t take long, but I don’t want any of you exposed to the chemicals, so hide around the corner.”
Hesitantly, she backed up, taking Honey and the baby with her. He waited until they were out of sight before he pulled out the spray can he needed, and pressed the button on top. He sprayed enough of the chemical to cover the manual panel. It was only intended to be used for emergency purposes, but just a squirt would melt the mechanisms enough to cause a malfunction. It would be enough to buy them some much needed time.
As soon as the chemical reacted with the electronic panel, sparks flew. He stepped back and stuck the can back into one of his many pockets.
He might resent and even despise his father, but there were a few perks to being Kingsley’s son, and having access to the many dastardly creations he’d commissioned during his life was certainly one of them. The ruthless bastard had some sort of protection for everything.
“Okay, we’re good to go,” Fox said, turning the corner to join the two women.
“What did you do?”
Iris asked, peeking back.
“I’ve temporarily immobilized the control panel. He’ll probably work out a way to get through, eventually. No doubt using brawn rather than brain, but it’s going to take a while. We’ll be lost in the heart of the slums by then. After we get there, we’ll be able to blend in a little easier.” He looked at Honey, concerned about the obvious feline features on her face. Then again, he’d never been deep inside the slums, so he didn’t really know what to expect.
“Let’s go.”
As if she’d read his mind, Honey lifted a hood over her head. It didn’t cover her completely, but it concealed her enough not to draw immediate attention.
He instinctively reached for Iris’s hand but stopped himself. They were headed into a ruthless place, filled with poverty and desperation. Any show of emotion could make them a target for anyone cunning enough to want to use it against them.
Iris offered him a smile and looked at Honey. She’d probably assumed he was sparing the other woman’s feelings, but he hadn’t even thought of her. All he could think about was Iris. The way she felt against him, the feel of her moist mouth against his. The attraction sizzled between them and strengthened with every one of their connections.
Soon, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. He wanted her. Her taste and scent were imprinted in his memory.
Still, he had to focus on what they needed to do, starting with getting the cat-woman and her child to a man he knew couldn’t be trusted.
In spite of his previous doubts, he entwined his fingers around Iris’s. Holding hands would probably be the safest way to stay together.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Top Floor, Wentworth Corporation Tower
Kingsley Wentworth III’s Personal Floor
Kingsley was so focused on the overcast sky above, the glare pained him. He couldn’t believe what he’d just seen. Had there really been a break in the clouds, or was his old brain conjuring up fantastic hallucinations? It wouldn’t be the first time.
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