Into the Fire

by Victoria Smith

  When he did, she gasped. He turned her slightly. Her back was against the shower wall. He urged her to put her leg up on the slight ledge where the soap was supposed to go as he continued to work his hand against her. He pressed in close, kissing her as he washed and then rinsed her. She took a deep breath, her world spinning and her limbs weak.

  “Please,” she whimpered.

  “I can’t do this standing. There’s not enough room in here. Come on.” He turned off the water, grabbing two towels from the rack and handing her one.

  He gathered their clothes and boots in one hand and kissed her when she’d dried as much as her shaking hands could. Matt led her across the hall and locked the door behind them, dropping their clothes in a pile by the door. Without pulling back the covers, he gently guided her down, his mouth never leaving hers and his knee between her legs.

  She arched against him, reaching. When he entered her, they both gasped. The building waves immediately crashed around her. Jillian could swear she felt the concussion in her soul as their bodies merged. She wanted to crawl into his skin and feel him from the inside. Her body tightened around him as he moaned, her release coming seconds before his. He shuddered against her, the weight of him comforting instead of suffocating. She wanted him again.

  She wanted him forever.

  ~ ~ ~

  Luke was glad for the fact that his brother was no longer walking around like he’d lost his best friend, but he hadn’t had a second to even talk to Matt since they’d found Jillian and Theo. When Matt announced that Jillian had fallen asleep, and they could wait to hear what she had to say, Frank had gone to sit on the front porch, his note-taking occupying him to the point where he did nothing but scribble on that damned yellow pad of paper. If the guy didn’t at least act like he planned to help them come up with a coherent plan soon, Luke would send him back where he belonged, and he wouldn’t be without a black eye.

  Luke had nothing to do, so he went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. With the exception of Jillian and Theo, no one was going back to sleep around here. He might as well do something constructive. As he opened the freezer, he realized they’d have to figure out a way to lay in supplies and quick. There was nothing left once he removed a package of what he assumed was faux sausage. There were also only enough eggs and bread to feed their crew breakfast. After that Mother Hubbard’s cupboard was bare.

  Olivia came into the kitchen and sat at one of the stools. She dropped her head to her hands and sighed. “Why do things just get weirder and weirder?”

  “We have other problems. This is the last of the food.”

  She didn’t raise her head, only rolled it to the side and looked at him. “It doesn’t matter. We have to leave in a few hours. Theo had a vision. They’re coming.”

  “I have to make a call.” Pulling his phone out, he stopped and kissed her.

  She nodded, holding on to him. “I’ll finish breakfast. We need to get out of here regardless.”

  “Good idea.” He kissed her again.

  “What would be a good idea?” Matt entered the kitchen, his smile annoyingly bright.

  “You going away.” Luke glared at him for breaking the moment.

  “Ha. I think we’re all going away, aren’t we? Jillian’s going to be pissed that she crashed before telling us what she knows, but she was beyond exhausted. She and Theo are sacked.” He knocked Olivia’s elbow out from under her, earning a punch to the shoulder.

  “Stop acting like you’re always in the dark. It’s not my fault you were unconscious for days.” Olivia yanked her arm away when he tried to repeat the movement.

  Luke wished he could enjoy the moment. He liked that Olivia and Matt got along like siblings, but they didn’t have time for horsing around. They had a lot to do if they were actually going to get this crew out of here.

  “Stow it, Matt. We have a lot to do.” He didn’t have to be such a jerk about it.

  Matt saluted him with one finger, and sat on a stool. “We do, but first tell me what the fuck is going on inside that rock you call a head.”

  Olivia said nothing. She grabbed her cup and left the room without saying another word.

  Luke watched her leave, finally turning his attention back to his brother. “I’m sorry. I was a dick. With you out of it and Olivia’s worries and everything . . . it has just been too much.”

  “You were a big dick.” Matt met his eyes. “But I understand and forgive you.”

  Before the moment could become too awkward, Frank came in and headed for the coffee pot. “Something smells good.”

  Luke and Matt looked at each other. Frank turned and set his full cup on the counter.

  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I really screwed this up. I came here to help and ended up freaking everyone out.”

  “No worries, dude,” Matt said. “As long as you see why we’re concerned. I think you’ll understand when you see more.”

  Frank nodded. “I have a pretty good idea already. I think I didn’t want to believe it because it’s so horrible.”

  Luke opened the oven door to check the biscuits. With the chance to talk to his brother alone gone, he might as well get his gear together. “I’ll be right back. Take care of breakfast.”

  “Sure. Sure.”

  “I’m packing.” Luke glared at him. “And I have a call to make.”

  He found Olivia in her bedroom with a pile of clothes on the made bed. She glanced over her shoulder with a smile though her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, but went back to her task.

  “I don’t have much to take.” Her shoulders slumped and she sat on the bed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head and grabbed a pair of jeans from the pile. “Nothing.”

  “Sure.” Luke moved the hair from her face.

  “It’s just . . . I don’t know. Aunt Jane said all this stuff about how I’d be tested and about how powerful my healing skills are. I’m not even sure I know what I’m doing, despite finally healing Matt. I couldn’t even do that without your help. Frank thinks asking people to be tested for special abilities is a good thing. I have no freaking idea what to think about any of it anymore.” Olivia took a shaky breath.

  “Whoa. And here I thought you were upset about which panties to pack.” He cupped her chin and brought her face up to kiss.

  “Very funny. I’m just on overload, I think.”

  “Sounds that way. Listen, you can’t do anything about that stuff. All I know is that Matt would be dead if it wasn’t for you. I don’t know any healer who could do what you did.”

  “I didn’t do it alone. You helped.”

  “So I helped. Is it a crime to need help once in a while?”

  “It is when you’re supposed to be powerful.” She loosened her hand on his back.

  “Really? Because I didn’t get the memo on that. I helped you. Not some random stranger. Maybe that doesn’t mean anything to you, but it does to me.” It did mean something. Maybe he was the only one who thought so though.

  Olivia studied him, biting her lip as she reached up to touch his face. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Helping. Understanding. Not laughing. I don’t know. For being here.” She kissed him.

  He kissed her back. Just as he was ready to ease her onto the bed, regardless of how short their time was, Matt pounded on the door.

  “Breakfast. And we have another visitor.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Olivia didn’t like the sound of that. Another visitor? And why didn’t she sense their arrival like she should have? She glanced up at Luke, fear clenching her stomach and making her forget how hungry she’d been five minutes ago.

  “Did you know someone was coming?” he asked, opening her door.

  “No.”

  “This can’t be good.” He led the way to the dining room where everyone had already gathered.

  She scanned the table, no unfamiliar faces present. “I thought you said we had
another visitor?”

  “Just kidding. I knew that would get you moving. Who knows how long you would have stayed in there.” Matt grinned.

  “That’s not nice.” Olivia punched his arm and glanced into the living room. Theo slept on the couch, his arm over his eyes though the sun wasn’t quite yet up.

  Too bad Olivia didn’t know what to believe, what to do, or even where they were going.

  “What’s our plan?” Frank asked through a mouthful of biscuit.

  “I’m not sure we have one yet. We have to find out what Jillian knows.” Matt didn’t meet his eyes. “I’ll see if she’s up.”

  She glanced up at Luke, his concentrated way of eating reminding her of the way he made love to her—with everything he had and like nothing else mattered. With him by her side, she felt capable of handling anything thrown at them. That was probably why Jenner was bound and determined to separate them any way he could, even if it meant accusing them of crimes they’d never committed. Individually, their skills were fantastic, but together, they had a definite advantage, and maybe that advantage extended to Jillian and Matt as well.

  So why did an immense foreboding press down on her?

  ~ ~ ~

  Matt held onto Jillian, wishing they could stay like this. He didn’t want to go out and discuss tactics, plans, and how to avoid being killed. He didn’t want to know what awful things were going on around them. He wanted peace and normalcy and the chance to get to know every detail of Jillian. He wanted her. For all times. She’d freak if he said that to her, so he kept quiet and kissed the top of her head. She wiggled against him, raising her head and giving him a deep kiss.

  As he was ready to sink into her again, a loud banging came from the door. “Dude, I’m going to kick your ass.”

  Luke sounded pissed. Matt got up, ready to go a few rounds with his brother. He was tired of the life they lived, the choices they had to make, the way they were constantly forgetting about the things they needed to help other people. He whipped open the door. Luke smirked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry. We have to plan. We’re running out of time.” He did seem apologetic.

  “Give us a few minutes. Okay?” Matt glanced at Jillian. She’d disappeared from the bed.

  “No problem.”

  Jillian came up behind him, touching Matt’s back with warm hands.

  “We’ll be out in a minute.” The weariness in her voice pained him.

  She’d just gotten here, and now they had to trek off to God only knew where and probably all get killed. She deserved so much more than this life. He didn’t care that she’d chosen it as he had. He didn’t care that their goal was for the good of everyone in this sector. Matt wanted normal.

  “For what it’s worth, I am sorry,” Luke said, his eyes locked with Jillian’s. “None of this is fair.”

  She rested her head on Matt’s back, nodding at his brother before moving away. When Matt turned around, she was sitting on the edge of the bed pulling on her boots.

  “What’s wrong?” Jillian asked.

  “I’ve been wondering a lot about what kind of difference we’re going make. How crazy are we that we think we can affect the outcome of this madness?”

  “I understand, but we’ve already made a difference. Even if we can’t stop him, we’ve made people think, made them more aware of their rights and how their government is supposed to work for them, not run their lives.” Jillian got up.

  “I feel like an ant trying to move a house.” Matt exhaled.

  Jillian came to him, kneeling and wrapping her arms around his waist. “I know. The trick is to get more ants to help. I think we can. We have to at least try.”

  Matt tried to push the desperation away. When he allowed his true feelings out to examine them, most of his issue was the fear of losing her. He was sure if he told her, he would lose her. There might never be a time he was free to tell her how he felt without spooking her. He held her, kissing her head.

  “Stay by my side, okay?”

  “Always.” She kissed him, dropping her hands and backing away before he could lose himself in her again.

  She had her personal items gathered and went to the door. “I’ll meet you out there.”

  He nodded. “I’ll be there in a few. I want to throw my crap in my bag.”

  Jillian closed the door behind her, raised voices filtering through the open door before it closed completely. He scanned the room, picked up his towel and folded it over the chair by the window. With a deep breath, he shoved his bitter, selfish thoughts aside and followed.

  ~ ~ ~

  Olivia hugged Jillian when she entered the dining room. Her exhaustion was still present, but there was peace and joy with her, too.

  “How’s it going, partner in crime?” Jillian laughed and hugged her, then kissed the top of Theo’s head before bending over to talk to her brother.

  All her toughness was an act to cover up the softest heart Olivia had ever known. Jillian would do anything to protect her brother, even if it meant her own happiness.

  Matt dropped his duffel bag in the living room and took the seat on the opposite side of Theo. Olivia could barely stand the emotions of the trio as she took her seat.

  “Let’s get started. Jillian.” Olivia put her hand on Luke’s leg when he sat beside her.

  He placed his hand over hers and squeezed. Jillian took a moment to scan the faces of everyone at the table before speaking.

  “It’s total insanity . . .”

  Olivia was horrified when Jillian told them about the bodies in the road. Things were much, much worse than they’d feared, though the slaughter of innocent people made no sense. It might only prove Jenner’s desperation to hold on to power.

  “As we thought, Jenner never released control of the government. He’s been running things the whole time. The complacency drug isn’t working anymore. People are waking up and realizing how badly they were fooled. Most are angry and ready to take the sector back from Jenner.”

  “You said most people,” Frank said.

  “Right. There are some still completely under his influence. I don’t know why. There are too many possibilities to consider. A lot of people have no idea what to believe, including those who used to be on our side. Theo and I ran into that on the way here with the mechanic and his son.” Jillian smiled at Theo.

  Theo nodded. “He was not happy.”

  “I’m not convinced the son believed us despite what happened,” Jillian said. “After being in that haze for so long, it’s easy to see how your perspective could be skewed.”

  “So, what do we do?” Frank asked.

  “Ideas?” Matt spread his hands in front of him.

  “Jenner’s compound is guarded too heavily now to gain entry again.” Luke glanced at Matt who rubbed his stomach. “Martineo scoped it out when he got back. There’s no way in.”

  “We’ll have to draw him out. Get him to come to us. But how?” Olivia drummed her fingers on the table.

  “I might be able to help with that.” Frank dragged his chair closer. “What if I ask for a meeting? I’ll tell him I want his advice on my training programs.”

  Luke smiled. Frank might come in handy after all. “You’re brilliant. Except, he monitors outside communications through satellite. It’ll pick up your signal, and he’ll know you’re here. We use a coded signal he can’t detect, but I’d be wary of you using one of our phones on the chance they have somehow broken our code.”

  “I know. My phone should be secure. The signal backtracks to my office in my sector. We haven’t tried it yet, but I trust the person who designed the technology.”

  “And how do we know we can trust you?” Theo stood before sitting down as if realizing he should have stayed quiet. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, Theo. You only said what’s at the back of everyone’s mind.” Luke put his hand on Theo’s shoulder before facing Frank. “It’s hard for us to trust, especially politicians.”

 
; Frank turned his attention to Olivia. “I won’t betray you.”

  “How do we know?”

  He looked only at Olivia. “Crystal Cove.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Olivia paused for a few seconds. Remembering. She nodded without breaking Frank’s gaze. “His word is good.”

  “Okay,” Luke, Matt and Theo said in unison.

  Frank’s attention snapped to them. “Just like that?”

  “If Olivia believes you, then so do we. Obviously, there’s some history between you, and it’s none of our business. If it makes you trustworthy to her, that’s good enough for us.” Luke squeezed her hand under the table.

  Olivia continued to look at Frank. Crystal Cove. She hadn’t thought of that for ages. Frank had made a huge mistake, nearly getting them both, and several innocent people, killed. She’d promised she’d tell no one, and she hadn’t. She knew what it had taken for him to mention it. If anyone found out what had happened that day, he’d be ruined.

  Olivia nodded. She wouldn’t tell a soul unless he betrayed them, and even then, she’d have to think long and hard about it. The mistakes made in youth usually had no bearing on adulthood except to shape you into a better person. She hoped.

  “So, we’ll have Jenner meet me where?” Frank tapped out a pocket-sized notebook.

  “Let him suggest the place,” Luke said. “If he says he’ll come there, tell him you could use a break from your scenery.”

  Frank nodded, writing notes to himself.

  “He’ll bring guards. You know he’ll bring guards.” Theo bounced in his seat. “I will have to shoot.”

  Jillian leaned in to him. “Probably, but we’ll see. Remember your promise and listen. We’re fine. We have an advantage because he doesn’t know Frank is on our side.”

  “Frank, make the call, and then we’ll decide on a plan. See if you can get him to meet you day after tomorrow. That’ll give us time to gather as many people as we can.” Luke stood, dismissing their informal meeting.

  Olivia sent Frank into the bedroom and ushered everyone else outside to the front porch. The less distraction Frank had, the more effective his lie would be. He’d lie just fine, but maybe that was her general distrust of politicians, despite knowing him all her life.