The Change (Unbounded)

by Teyla Branton

  The man touched Ritter’s outstretched fist with his own and bowed. From Ritter’s expression I could tell he considered the man a respected ally, if not a friend. Ava and the woman shared a hug, and then Ava offered her fist to the man, who promptly kissed it. Ava smiled and leaned forward to touch her lips to his cheek. The woman ignored Ritter’s outstretched hand and planted a firm kiss on his mouth. At his lack of a response, she tapped the semiautomatic rifle he wore slung over his neck and laughed. “Still the same old Ritter, I see.” She spoke with a slight accent I couldn’t place.

  “This is my granddaughter, Erin Radkey,” Ava said, her hand on my shoulder. “And Marco Collins, who works for us. Erin, Marco, this is Tenika Vasco and Li Yuan-Xin. We call him Yuan-Xin.” In my mind, she added, Normally, he’d be called Li, but that’s too similar to his famous name. You might know him as Bruce. Yes, he is who you think he is. Both he and his son are Renegades. The shaved head and this lesser-known name help mask his identity.

  My eyes widened. She couldn’t be talking about the martial arts icon who had died young before I’d been born. Maybe that explained the rumors that still surrounded his death. Yuan-Xin winked at me.

  Tenika touched her closed fist to Marco’s, inclining her head. Then she offered her fist to me, and I returned the gesture. “It is good to meet you, Erin,” she said. “Ava has been waiting a long time for a descendant to Change. I’m sorry we meet under such terrible circumstances.”

  “So am I.” I returned her nod and then touched fists with Yuan-Xin, feeling slightly relieved when he bowed but didn’t kiss my hand.

  “How was the call to Halden?” Ava asked.

  Tenika’s gaze shifted back to Ava. “He wanted time to think about moving the exchange, but I’m expecting a call from him any minute. We should go. Will you drive with us or follow in your car?”

  “We’ll come with you. Erin and Ritter are tracking Stella in this car. They’ll need weapons, though.”

  Tenika’s eyes roamed over me and Ritter. I tried to sense what she was feeling but received nothing. “Yuan-Xin, take Ritter and let him choose what they need.”

  Yuan-Xin and Ritter crossed to the trunk of the sedan and returned within minutes, Ritter carrying several additional guns and full magazines. “We’ll check in as soon as we know anything,” he promised.

  “We’ll do the same.” Ava glanced at me, as if she wanted to say something. Instead, she touched my arm, and a wave of well-wishes flooded my senses. I sent back the same to her and watched as she followed Tenika to the sedan.

  “Let’s go,” Ritter said.

  I watched Stella’s dot on the monitor grow larger as we approached her location. The GPS on the device gave us clear directions where to turn, so there was no navigation involved for me. I had plenty of time to study Ritter’s profile, lit periodically by passing cars. His hair had grown in the past week, now covering the mole on his right cheek. His face could have been carved in granite for all the expression he wore, and not a hint of emotion peeked through his mental shield.

  Within twenty minutes we pulled in front of a ramshackle hotel. Ritter’s frown increased. “Stella would never be here of her own accord, and this isn’t the Emporium’s style.”

  “You think Hunters took them?”

  Ritter’s jaw tightened. “Probably.”

  “You shouldn’t go in then. You’re in their files. They’ll recognize you.”

  “I’ll be careful.” He was already checking the guns and shoving in magazines. He placed a handgun on my lap. “Try not to lose it like that last one I gave you.”

  I made a face at him. “I think I should go in and talk to the guy at the desk. He might have useful information.”

  Ritter’s hand fell still, and I knew he was considering my suggestion. If he was any kind of a leader, he’d see the value of using my talent, however untried.

  “Okay,” he said finally. “But only the lobby. See what you can learn, and I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes. Meanwhile, I’m going to check the layout.”

  “What if someone sees you?”

  “No one will see me if I don’t want them to.”

  I had to admire his confidence. On the other hand, I was already having second thoughts about my part. What if I did something to get us both killed? I shoved my uncertainties to the back of my mind because I owed it to Stella to try. If we didn’t free her, she was as good as dead in the hands of the Hunters.

  Unless they were working for an Emporium operative, and then her fate could be even worse. The more I thought about that, the more worried I became. Why would the Hunters show up now? And here? It was just too coincidental. Yet if the Emporium was behind Stella’s capture, why wasn’t she already in their hands?

  Maybe she was and this was a trap.

  I fought down my panic. “Is there anything I can carry this gun in?”

  His eyes roamed over the snug pantsuit that I’d now been wearing for far too long. Unidentifiable stains marred the smooth fabric, which sported tiny rips from the shattered glass when we’d made our escape. I probably smelled like I hadn’t taken a bath in a week.

  “Take this.” He emptied the remains of his duffel onto the rear seat and handed it to me. “It’ll look natural going into a motel. Leave the zipper open enough for your hand, just in case.”

  “Okay.” I took a deep breath and left the car.

  My fear was so strong that I had to force myself to open the door to the motel lobby. My only comfort was that I really couldn’t see Stefan or Justine at such a dump. After years of wealthy living, they’d become accustomed to opulence. That meant they were probably far from this place—and from me.

  The night clerk lifted bleary eyes and watched me walk toward the desk. The man had beautiful dark skin and hair as black as Ritter’s, though it was sleek and shiny and lay flat on his skull. He was a slight man, handsome, with striking, soulful eyes. If I had to guess, I’d say he was from India.

  The lobby was tiny, so it didn’t take much time to reach him. “Yes,” he asked in heavily accented English. “You like a room?”

  “I think so. But I’m looking for a friend of mine who might be here. She’s slender, long dark hair. She may be with a thin black man, and maybe some others.”

  “Part Asian woman? Very beautiful?”

  “That’s her.” I could see her face in his mind.

  “She drove here in a van with maybe four men. Two of them left later in the vehicle. But she did not come inside, and I saw no black man. However, one man said you will come asking for the woman.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes.” His eyes traveled the length of my body. “He says you are thin and have very short blond hair. He wants me to call when you come. Shall I do this?”

  I thought rapidly. If they were waiting for me, this was definitely a trap. I had to warn Ritter.

  “I think I’ll—”

  “There he is now.” The clerk’s eyes went to the door behind me.

  I slipped my hand inside the duffel, fingers tightening on the handle of my gun.

  “The lady you talk about is here,” the clerk called to the man.

  “Oh good.” The voice was very young, very American.

  I turned slowly and saw a stolid, sandy-haired man with a thick neck and a red face. A mortal, but strong enough to break me in two pieces. Or three. He wore tight blue jeans with cowboy boots and a blue and white snap shirt that reminded me of a rodeo costume. His hair was longish, but fell flat around his face as though in need of a good washing. Obviously there was no woman in his life.

  “Are you Erin?” he asked.

  The pounding of my heart increased as my eyes riveted on the pocket of his shirt. The tiny embroidered insignia of a man with a rifle. He was a Hunter.

  My hand tightened on the gun.

  I SWALLOWED AT THE SUDDEN dryness in my mouth. Besides his beefy arms, I could see no weapon, though he might have one stashed somewhere. Not in the pocket of those ridiculously tig
ht jeans, or I’d see the bulge. If I was properly trained, I’d laugh in his face, wrap him up in his own silly shirt, and give him as a present to Ava. As it was, I was shaking violently inside. Could I shoot another mortal? Tom’s death already weighed heavily upon me.

  I risked a glance at the Indian clerk, who was busying himself with paperwork but was probably listening to every word. Surely the Hunter wouldn’t try anything in front of this witness.

  Play along. “Yes, I’m Erin.” Through the space between us I could feel relief pouring off the cowboy. I moved closer, trying to sense more detailed images. I caught a glimpse of Stella’s face, but his fear blotted out almost everything else.

  “Good.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “I have that package for you. Ready for disposal.”

  Package? I had to know more, or I was going to blow my cover. How did he know who I was and why was he waiting for me? Only one way to find out for sure. Pulling my hand from the duffel, I took a few steps and offered my hand to the Hunter.

  He hesitated only a second and then shook. Images burst into my mind. A warehouse, the cowboy crouching behind a Dumpster with three other men. Unbounded blowing each other to pieces. Satisfaction. Great gig for a relatively new Hunter. The woman from the picture approaching with a companion. He wasn’t to let them go inside, according to his instructions. He needed to take them before they joined the fighting.

  His hand dropped from mine. Crap. I wished I was better at this. I really didn’t know what I’d seen, except that he and his partners had been waiting for Stella outside the warehouse. I hoped the motel clerk had been correct when he said some of the men had left.

  “Come with me,” the cowboy said, opening the door. “I’ll show you where they are.”

  By “they” he must mean Stella and Gaven. If I wanted to learn more, I’d have to go with him. Ritter had better be watching.

  As we traversed a dimly lit sidewalk, the cowboy looked me over. “Are you sure you can handle them alone? These Unbounded are very dangerous.”

  “What makes you think I’m alone? Anyway, of course I can handle them.” I drew my gun from the duffel. “You have only one Unbounded anyway. The man is mortal. Easy to deal with.”

  His eyes widened. “How did you know that?”

  “I keep informed.”

  “So you talked to Keene.”

  Keene. Now this whole situation was beginning to make sense. He’d told me he’d worked undercover with the Hunters, and somehow he must be behind this man’s identification of me and his willingness to turn Stella and Gaven over. “We’ve been in touch,” I said. “But why don’t you tell me exactly what happened?”

  The cowboy nodded. “Okay. Keene wasn’t sure if we’d find anyone at the warehouse, but he thought his tip was good. When we got there, the place was loaded with Unbounded. You should have seen the creatures, still fighting when any normal man would have dropped dead.” He shivered and crossed himself. “We almost left when the shooting started, but it got too dangerous so we hunkered down outside to wait it out. Just as things were winding down, these two come along. We recognized them from one of the pictures Keene sent us to keep watch for, so we jumped them. Black guy went down with one shot—got him in the stomach—but it took four of us to get the woman, even after we shot her. I sent Keene a picture from my phone, and he said to hold them until you got here.”

  I allowed myself a tight smile. So Keene had sent help through the Hunters, using the connections he’d formed when he’d been with them as an Emporium spy. That meant he had irreversibly chosen sides. Like his brother. Like me. Yet according to Ritter, Keene had still been inside Emporium headquarters after getting Chris out. What would the Triad do to him once they learned of his betrayal? Would he be able to get away?

  I couldn’t waste time thinking about that now, but I wished I had a way to contact him. Maybe he could help Cort before he fled.

  I felt Ritter long before I saw him, murder in his heart. I reached out and shoved the Hunter against the wall. “Stay behind me,” I ordered. To my surprise he obeyed, his eyes huge in his blocky face.

  Ritter emerged from the shadows. “Ah, there you are,” I said feigning calm. “I’d introduce everyone, but we all know it’s better not to name names. At least not any more than we have already.” To Ritter I said, “Cowboy here has the package Keene wants us to pick up. All ready for disposal.” I hoped the Hunter was new enough that he didn’t recognize Ritter. If not, we had a problem.

  Ritter hesitated, his black look calculating. I willed him not to screw things up. “Good,” he growled, sounding every bit the part of a man who was willing to dissect another man. Or a woman.

  “I told you I wasn’t alone,” I added to the Hunter, who was eying Ritter, a worried crease in his brow. I sensed no recognition, only fear. “Show us where they are.”

  “This way.” Cowboy hurried on ahead.

  “Sensed you a mile away,” I muttered at Ritter, who scowled. “Thought you’d want to know.” I couldn’t sense anything now. Good, he needed to be more careful. The Emporium had at least two sensing Unbounded that I knew of—and were out to breed more.

  Cowboy led us up one flight of stairs to a door he opened with his key card. I started to follow him, but Ritter’s arm flew out and stopped me. “I’ll go first.”

  Inside the room lay two figures, one on each of the queen beds: Stella and Gaven. Both were trussed up like sacrificial lambs and were bleeding from at least one gunshot wound each. Someone had made only a half-hearted effort to wrap Stella’s arm, but her color was good. Gaven looked worse. Blood seeped from a stomach wound despite the rags someone had tied around his middle.

  “You should have been more careful,” I told Cowboy. “We wanted to question them.”

  A man stepped out of the shadows behind us, a weapon in his hand. “They had to be convinced to come along.”

  Stella struggled to speak past the gag in her mouth. Her dark hair was messy, her clothes ripped and stained with blood, but she was as striking as ever. Cowboy couldn’t drag his eyes away from her, and I was glad we’d come as soon as we did, or she might have had more to fear than a gunshot wound.

  The second Hunter moved closer, his eyes fixing on Ritter. A sense of recognition flooded him—and me. Before I could call out a warning, he whipped his gun toward us. Ritter was faster, his hand blurred by rapid movement. A soft whoosh of a silenced gun. The Hunter fell dead, a stain spreading over his heart.

  Cowboy swore and went for his own gun, tucked in the back of his waistband and hidden by his shirt.

  “Don’t,” Ritter said, his voice flat and dangerous. “Leave it alone. Your friend got trigger happy.”

  “I don’t know why he did that. We weren’t supposed to—”

  I reached out and touched him, an almost instinctive reaction. Fear oozed from his body like a sickness. “It’s okay,” I said softly. “We’re not going to hurt you. We only came for them. Your friend made a mistake. Everything is fine. Just be calm.” To my amazement, his fear drained away, and the effort hadn’t even made my head ache. I hadn’t realized this was part of my sensing ability, though I should have suspected from what Delia tried to do to me. Maybe I was getting better at this.

  “They’re all yours,” Cowboy said. “But what about him?” He gestured to his fallen companion.

  “Leave him.” Ritter dragged the body to the wall. “We’ll call headquarters.”

  That seemed to satisfy Cowboy. “Then if you don’t mind, I’d like to get out of here.”

  Ritter and I exchanged a glance. Letting him leave would be to our advantage, unless he suspected something and called for backup. I touched him again, straining to sense his intentions. An image of a bus came to me.

  I nodded. “Good idea.” Hurry to your bus, I added silently.

  I had no idea if the suggestion reached him, but he grabbed a backpack by the dresser and started for the door. “Good luck and be careful. These people are dangerous.”

&nb
sp; That was when Ritter hit him over the head with his gun. Cowboy crumpled instantly.

  “What did you do that for?” I demanded, checking to make sure he was still breathing.

  “Too dangerous to let him go right now.”

  He was probably right. I set my gun on the table and hurried to loosen Stella’s gag. “You took your sweet time getting here,” she growled as I untied her hands.

  Ritter laughed. “Same old Stella.”

  “Bronson know I was missing?”

  “No,” Ritter said. “No one told him.”

  “Good.” Stella was untying her own feet, so I helped Ritter with Gaven. The man was conscious, but barely. He wouldn’t be sitting up on his own anytime soon.

  Ritter took a peek at his wound. “We have to get him to one of our doctors immediately. I wish we didn’t have to move him, but it’s not safe here.”

  “I’m fine,” Gaven mumbled.

  “Shut up.” There was worry and affection in Stella’s voice. “You’re going to the doctor and that’s that.” She walked to the table, picked up my gun, and peeked out the blinds. “So why were they turning us over to you guys anyway?”

  I explained to Stella as Ritter examined Gaven and retied his makeshift bandages. “I guess Keene felt bad enough about the Emporium attack that he sent someone to see if he could prevent you from falling into the trap. He gave them my description and told them I would be coming to pick you up. Probably told him I was another Hunter.” I glanced at the unconscious cowboy. “Seems kind of risky. I mean, it could have been any of us following your tracking device.”