by Jena Leigh
“Have a seat,” said Grayson, gesturing to the empty chair next to Cil.
The young man walked forward and sat down on the very edge of the chair, his knee immediately developing a nervous bounce.
He appeared over-caffeinated, uncomfortable, and more than a little frightened.
Grayson forced a smile in an attempt to put him at ease. “I wanted to thank you again for choosing to join us. I know it couldn’t have been an easy decision for you.”
Linus looked down at his feet. “Easy enough, I guess, once Jezza convinced me she could get us here safely. All this has been eating away at my conscience for weeks. And I would have come to you with this sooner, it’s just…”
“It’s alright, Linus,” said Cil. Her voice proved far more soothing than Grayson’s forced smile and the boy’s leg gradually ceased its frenzied movement. “It was really brave of you to join us. We understand what an enormous risk you took by choosing to leave your position with the Agency. Thank you for trusting us. We’re even more appreciative than you know.”
At her words, he relaxed back into his chair and his rigid posture began to loosen.
“So, Linus,” said Grayson. “When Trent and Jezza brought you in, they informed me that you were in possession of some rather sensitive intel, but that you didn’t want to share it with anyone except the resistance leaders.”
The young man gave a quick nod of his head. “That’s right.”
“Are you ready to impart that information to us now?” he asked.
Linus nodded again. “I… Well, I was working late one night, trying to transfer and restore files off a corrupted hard drive. A jumper from the Director’s inner circle accidentally fried his laptop, and it was brought in to me to salvage.” The nervous bouncing in his right leg resumed and picked up speed. “I was nearly finished, so I figured I’d boot up the new drive real quick and double-check a few of the files to make sure it was all good to go. Totally normal part of the process. I’m the only one in the department aside from my supervisor with an above-top-secret clearance, which is why the computer was brought to me in the first place. The thing is, what I saw in those files… it must have been way above my pay grade because, well…”
“Yes?” Grayson prompted.
Pushing past his fear and hesitation, Linus blurted, “The Director’s planning to go public with our existence. She intends to reveal our secret to the whole world.”
In the moment that followed, a pin drop would have registered as loudly as a grenade.
“What?” Cil breathed. “She wouldn’t! She couldn’t. When it was first established, the whole point of the VPA was to protect the innocent, to police rogue Variants, and to maintain our secret from the norms. I should know. I was standing right there when the mission statement was signed. For goodness sake, I helped write the damn thing!”
“Cecilia, please,” Grayson said softly. “Let the boy finish. What exactly did you see in those files, Linus? What makes you think the Agency’s intention is to out us to the norms?”
“See, that’s just it. It’s not really the Agency that’s going to out us. They intend to make it Alex Parker’s fault. They’re going to set her up somehow, force her to use her abilities in public with a bunch of witnesses around to see it. After that they’re planning to make our kind and the Agency public knowledge. They want to spin the whole situation to their advantage. God only knows how they plan to do that, though. That wasn’t anywhere in the mission brief.”
Grayson exchanged a troubled glance with Cil. “Was there anything else in the files? Anything that we need to know or that might help us stop them from going forward with the plan?”
Linus shook his head.
“Alright,” Grayson said slowly. “Alright. Thank you, Linus, for bringing this to us. You’ve done the right thing. You’re welcome to remain at the safe house for as long as you’d like. You’ve more than earned a place here, but it you’ll excuse us for a moment, Cil and I need to discuss a few things.”
“Right!” he said, then a little less emphatically, “Right. Of course you… I’ll just… Um, I’ll just be going.”
Linus stood and made for the door.
“Mr. Grayson?” he asked before stepping back into the hall.
“Yes, Linus?”
“When this is all over…” Linus shifted his weight nervously from one foot to the other. “I don’t suppose… I mean, would it be possible to…”
The young man’s inability to finish his sentences had Cil leaning forward in her seat a little further with each false start.
“Yes?” Grayson prompted.
“Think you’ll have any openings for an IT guy?” Linus asked in a rush.
Grayson offered him a small smile. “When this is over, Linus, you can have your pick of any job you want. I give you my word.”
Some of the tension seemed to leave him and with a relieved grin, Linus exited the room.
The smile on Grayson’s face only lasted for a few moments longer as the implications of the young man’s information began to fully sink in.
When combined with the Agency’s recent decision to label them as terrorists, their attempt to take Cassie, and the culling of the uprising’s informants, this news of Carter’s potential plan to go public with their existence all came together to form a highly disturbing trend.
The Agency’s days of playing defense were coming to an end. Dana Carter was officially going on the offensive.
As soon as someone at the Agency took note of Linus’s disappearance, they’d likely choose to move up their timetable.
If the boy was right about what he’d seen, then their cold war was about to get very, very hot.
* * *
Alex’s world had begun to tilt troublingly to the left and sitting down in the grass hadn’t fixed anything. She chugged the last of her bottle of water, having already lost the first three quarters of it in sweat. The cool liquid was pleasant against her burning throat, but it caused her empty stomach to roil in response.
Ugh.
Alex officially felt like crap.
She could only hope that she looked a little better than she felt. Alex would probably pass her aunt at some point before she could sneak off to grab a shower, and she just didn’t have enough energy left to counter the inevitable nagging.
“You look like crap,” said Declan.
Well, so much for that.
“That sort of flattery will get you nowhere with me, O’Connell,” she managed between breaths. “Save it for the ladies at The Corner Pocket. Or for Benji.”
Declan appeared to suppress a shudder. “There’s a terrifying thought.”
Reaching down to take her hand in his, Declan helped Alex haul herself to her feet.
“Speaking of your favorite den of iniquity,” she said, grateful that her balance was slowly returning to normal, “how exactly do you plan on picking up your latest purchase, now that we’re all on lockdown?”
“I have my ways,” he said cryptically. “But I have a couple hours to waste before I go. Thought maybe we could waste them together.”
Reaching out, he grazed her forehead with his fingertips, brushing away a rogue strand of hair. “Think you’re up for it? You look a little… tired.”
She stared up at Declan, thrown slightly by the unexpected touch. “No… I mean, yes. I’d love to spend some time together. And no, I’m not too tired. What did you want to do exactly?”
“Nothing much,” he said, smiling. “I was thinking we could take a hike out to a nice spot I know down by the river. It’s an easy trail. Found it not long after they brought me out of cryo. Thought we could relax there for a while. Maybe get some time to ourselves for once.”
Alex smiled. “Do I have time to grab a shower?”
Declan considered the question, looking her over, then shook his head. “Nah. You’re fine like that. Besides, we only have a couple hours and it’s a bit of a walk.”
“You don’t want to jump there?” she
asked.
Alex tried to keep the hope from her voice. The prospect of some alone time with Declan was enticing, even if she would have killed for a shower first, but she wasn’t looking forward to hiking all the way to their destination.
In fact, she was more than willing to stare down the barrel of another jumping-induced panic attack if it saved her from any more exercise that morning.
“Nah, no need to jump,” he said. Taking her by the hand, he guided them away from the training field and back to the courtyard. “It’s a nice morning. Plus it will give us time to talk.”
“Will we be talking about anything in particular?”
“Sort of,” he said, then dropped his voice. “Find anything interesting in the journal yet?”
She shook her head. “It’s just a daily work journal, Decks. I haven’t made it to the end yet, but everything I’ve seen so far, it’s all pretty normal stuff. I mean, the cases she talks about are fascinating and all, but it’s nothing newsworthy, you know? Everything she wrote down seems to be information the entire team would have already known.” Alex paused. “What, exactly, am I supposed to be looking for?”
“You’ll know it when you see it,” he said.
As they turned off the dirt path and onto the flagstones of the courtyard in front of the main house, she bumped headlong into someone walking in the other direction.
Glancing up, she discovered a guy in his early twenties, with dark skin, unruly hair and a familiar—if exceedingly nervous—smile.
“Oh, wow,” he said. “Alex Parker! I am so sorry. It’s my fault, I totally didn’t see you coming.”
“No, it’s alright, I… Hang on,” said Alex, brow furrowing. “I know you. You’re Linus!”
“Linus?” Declan echoed.
“He was the Agency contact Nate, Aiden, and I went to meet just before you found me in Seattle,” she explained. “Jezza’s friend.”
When Alex and Aiden first promised Jezza they’d look into the Scientist murders, Linus was the one who’d smuggled them the confidential case files. Their meeting had been brief, but he’d left something of an impression.
Linus smiled wide. “Wow. Good memory. We only met for a couple minutes, two years ago, and yet somehow you still remembered my face.”
She smiled back. For her, of course, it had only been a month or so. But she wasn’t about to start in on that explanation. They’d be there all day.
And Declan seemed eager to get to their destination.
Alex was already praying it wouldn’t be a long hike. As nice as it would be to spend time with him, she was ready to drop. For the first time in ages, she ached for a nap. She’d even welcome the nightmares if it meant she could just lay down for a few moments.
“Well, well, well,” a familiar voice called from a few yards away. “Here’s Trouble.”
She turned toward the speaker and let out a small gasp.
“Trent! Jezza!” Dropping Declan’s hand, Alex walked over to the pair. Her heart said to jog toward them, but her tired legs and still roiling stomach were saying no way.
Jezza was the first to pull her into a bone-crushing hug. “New Girl! You’re sweaty.”
Alex laughed into her scattering of pink braids. “At some point, that should probably have been downgraded to just ‘Girl.’ I’d say we’re a bit past the ‘new’ stage, at this point.”
“Eh,” Jezza said as she released Alex. “You’ll always be New Girl to me. You never stick around long enough for your newness to wear off.”
She supposed Jezza had a point there.
As they exchanged greetings, Linus and Declan crossed the patio to join them.
“And you’ll always be Trouble to me, Lex,” said Trent, pulling her in for a hug. “Missed ya, kid. Glad you made it home okay. You had us all pretty worried with how long it took you to get back.”
A familiar tightness in her lungs caused her breath to hitch and the world to go a bit gray around the edges—and then Declan’s arm was around her shoulders and a much more pleasant warmth replaced the constriction in her chest. She leaned into him, slipping her arm around his waist and relishing the unexpected contact.
The casual touches, the moments of connection as the currents danced between them… Alex honestly couldn’t remember the last time it had felt this natural.
She prayed it lasted awhile longer. And she really hoped this feeling of fatigue would let up long enough that she might actually have time to enjoy it.
“What are you guys doing here?” Alex asked, grinning. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you all, of course.”
“Of course,” said Trent. “Actually, we’ve been working with Grayson from day one, trying to get Mr. Whitman over there to see the light and join the cause.”
Linus’s expression turned bashful, his gaze shifting downward. “Yeah, well. I just wish I’d made the choice to come sooner.”
“I’m glad you decided to join us, Linus,” said Alex.
“Right,” he said, and met her gaze. His eyes widened and the look on his face vacillated between nervousness and panic. “Right! Me, too. I… uh… I’ve gotta go.”
As Linus beat a hasty retreat, the others watched him, bemused, until he disappeared through the door of cabin four.
“Is he always…?” Declan asked
“Always, my friend,” said Trent. “Which is why it took so damn long to convince him to join us. Anyway. Good to see you guys, but we have to get moving. We’ve got a hot date with a game of Uno back inside the main house.”
Jezza elbowed him hard in the side. “You guys are more than welcome to come with us. I think Kenzie and some of the others were planning on joining, in a bit.”
Declan smiled. “Maybe later. We’ve actually got plans right now.”
Trent smirked, Jezza arched an eyebrow.
“Alright, you two,” said Jezza, grabbing hold of Trent and guiding him toward the house. “Have fun. We’ll see you later.”
Over his shoulder, Trent called, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
Alex smiled and Declan shook his head, reclaiming her hand as he led them off in the direction of the trail.
They’d nearly left the courtyard when, over by the cabins, someone flicked open a lighter. Alex sucked in a breath and was forced to immediately reorganize her thoughts in order to resist the sudden overwhelming urge to draw its spark toward her. They were at least a hundred feet away, but she could feel the call of the flame as though it were right in front of her.
Beside her, Declan stiffened.
All at once Alex realized just how badly she’d screwed this one up. Risking a glance to check Declan’s reaction, she found first puzzlement—and then sudden understanding.
Brow furrowed, he fixed her with a glare brimming with silent accusation.
Thanks to their repeated contact that morning, Declan had absorbed every power she currently possessed… including her freshly minted ability to wield fire.
Alex sighed. “Oh, crap.”
So much for keeping it a secret, she mused.
Putting his hand at the small of her back, Declan guided them further into the nearby field and away from anyone who might accidentally overhear their conversation.
As soon as they were safely out of earshot Declan—rather predictably—brought them up short and demanded, “Fire-wielding, Lex? Do you have any idea how unstable…” He trailed off, pacing back and forth in front of her. “And with that lunatic Brandt… I just… I can’t believe you would even…” Stopping in his tracks, he finally forced out an entire sentence. “Have you lost your freaking mind?!”
Alex could feel her adrenaline spiking again, banishing the fatigue, bringing the world sharply back into focus, and numbing the pain in her limbs.
“Not yet,” she said. “But if you keep questioning my every move, you’re pretty much guaranteed to send me careening over that ledge sooner rather than later.” She pushed past him and kept walking, further away from the compound. “I refuse to a
rgue with you about this, Declan. It was my decision. End of story.”
“End of story,” he repeated dumbly, before trailing after her. “End of… Alex, will you listen to yourself? You are in no kind of shape right now to be taking on a new ability! Especially not one so freaking volatile. It took me days to learn how to fully resist the flames and I have half your strength.”
“Well, seeing as it took me a grand total of forty-five minutes,” she shot back, “maybe you shouldn’t always be so damn quick to assume that I can’t handle myself.”
That seemed to shut him up, but only for a moment.
“Hang on,” he said eventually. “You didn’t have that ability when we kissed last night. I would have noticed it as soon as someone lit a cigarette outside The Corner Pocket, or back here when they started the campfire. You absorbed it this morning, didn’t you?”
She shrugged.
Declan snagged her by the elbow, stopping Alex in her tracks. “Just how intense was your training with Brandt this morning?” he asked. “Please… please tell me he went easier on you than he did me.”
“Let’s just say he didn’t hold back.”
Declan scowled.
“And I didn’t want him to!” Alex added. “I couldn’t afford days of training, Declan. I needed to learn the foundations of how to control it as fast as possible so that I wouldn’t accidentally hurt someone. If he hadn’t gone all out, I never would have learned so quickly.”
Declan scoffed in disbelief. “Shit, Alex. No wonder you were so out of it while you were sparring with Aiden.”
He blew out a long, slow breath, then rubbed tiredly at his face, slouching as his anger was replaced with something more resembling concern.
“Half an hour with Brandt was enough to wipe me out for the rest of the day.” Declan looked her over from head to toe, as though he were seeing her in a new light. “Learning how to resist the call practically sucks the life out of you. I’m amazed you’re even able to stand up right now.”
Oddly enough, so was she.
Now that Declan was calming down, Alex was, too. Her rush of anger was dissipating—taking with it her resurgence of energy.
