EVO Nation Series Trilogy Box Set

by K. J. Chapman

  I extend the force until we’re both enveloped. The hairs on his arms stand on end and his heart races faster. With one quick blast, we’re airborne. My own tummy somersaults, so I can only imagine what Adam is experiencing. He grips tighter, burying his face into my neck and hair.

  It’s still raining, but the view is incredible. Open expanses of green land broken by dirt tracks weave across the coastline, and on the other side, the aqua expanse of ocean.

  Wow, this is amazing,” I whisper. “Adam, look.”

  He slowly lifts his head, still gripping me to him. His eyes scan over my shoulder and a look of awe spreads over his face. I manoeuvre us in a pirouette style, so he can take it all in. The sudden movement causes him to cling tighter, and he exhales against my face.

  “I won’t drop you.”

  He looks me dead in the eyes. “I know you won’t. It just takes some getting used to.”

  Jude watches with his arms folded across his chest, an impressed smile creeping at his lips. “Alright, show off,” he calls.

  I grin at him, ignoring Cooper’s huffing and Maggie’s obvious attempt to look anywhere other than me.

  Adam squints over my shoulder and tenses suddenly. “Jude, there’s a convoy about a mile out,” he shouts, pointing behind me.

  Fast moving outlines of about seven military type vehicles cut through the green. We touch down a little more forcefully than I had intended, and I sprawl out with Adam on top of me. In a split-second he is up, dragging me after Jude and the others.

  “Move your asses,” Jude shouts.

  We descend a steep incline, the uneven ground coming loose underfoot. Fabian slips, taking Seth out like a skittle. The pair of them skids to the bottom in a painful heap. Jude doesn’t let up. He sprints ahead into an overgrown area of thick grass, pulling camouflage covers from what I thought was a hedgerow, but is actually two jeeps. He retrieves keys from under the wheel arches and chucks a set at Adam.

  Adam jumps in the driver’s seat, Fabian in the passenger seat, and Yana, Cooper, and Seth in the back. Jude is already pulling away with Wheeler, Maggie, Emiko, and October in the second jeep. Fabian lifts me onto his lap, slamming the door behind me.

  “Keep up,” Jude shouts out of his window.

  “Seatbelts,” Adam snaps at us.

  Fabian stretches the seatbelt around the both of us, and I slot it into the catch.

  Yana appears to be back to her vulnerable, frightened self. Her outburst at Maggie could almost have been a dream when I look at her pale skin and trembling lips.

  “Clunk, click, every trip,” I say. She smiles a little. I knew a memory of Golding would have that effect.

  “Sit back,” Adam scolds me, shattering the moment.

  The track weaves precariously close to the cliff edge, and I grip the dash to try and ease the shocks shooting through my teeth.

  “Please, tell me you’re a professional stunt driver,” Fabian jokes, looking out of the window to the drop below. His hands dig into my upper arms from trying to brace the both of us.

  “No, but I was TORO,” Adam says under his breath.

  Yana grips Cooper’s hand, much to his annoyance, and clings to the edge of the seat with the other. Her eyes remain closed and her lips move silently. I think she’s praying. Seth groans, winds the window down, and pukes down the side of the jeep. No one speaks.

  I keep my eyes trained on the back of Jude’s jeep. Adam is tailgating him with no more than three metres between us. He’s replying to Jude’s ‘keep up’ comment. The road behind us is still, the convoy nowhere to be seen.

  “They would have stopped at the bay,” Fabian answers, as if reading my mind.

  A sharp turn takes us onto a wider track and away from the cliffs. I feel Fabian relax, and I release my grip on the dash, although, Adam doesn’t let up with the speed.

  “How did they even know we were at that bay at that exact time?” Cooper asks.

  Adam adjusts his grip on the wheel. “The speed boat may have been spotted from further up the coast. They’ll realise soon enough that we’ve ran. Jude better have a plan.”

  ***

  Jude makes an unexpected stop just a few metres ahead. Adam slams on the breaks, and we skid to a halt mere centimetres shy of the bumper. The road has come to a dead end, and a rotted, wooden fence separates us from a stretch of overgrowth and trees.

  With a swish of his hand, Jude slides both jeeps over the cliff. Fabian and I gingerly peer over the edge as they disappear under the choppy water.

  Jude is already slipping through a broken part of the fencing. We all copy, finding holes where the sea air has disintegrated the panelling, ending up in waist high grass and shrubbery.

  Sticks and twigs scratch at my bare legs, but I take long, fast strides to keep pace with Adam and Jude. I follow them into the bushes for cover. The ground is drier, but the is air cooler, causing me to shiver in my wet clothes.

  A familiar thrum fills the air and a chopper approaches at speed. As I crouch in the foliage, the memory of the chopper at the cove flashes in my mind. I concentrate on the fluttery, light sensation of the telepathy. It feels more wayward than my telekinesis. A gunshot echoes through my thoughts. I won’t let this control me. I rein in the telepathy until I’m sure the memory no longer threatens to engulf me.

  Emiko touches the foliage. It grows before my eyes; creating a thick, dense barrier around us, so thick that little daylight seeps in.

  The sound of the chopper grows distant until it finally disappears and is replaced by the howling winds.

  Emiko touches the foliage once again and it parts in the shape of an archway. Her chlorokinesis is beautiful- not scary to witness- not out of control- just beautiful. Envy pangs in my chest.

  We file through the arch way, everyone looking to the skies for sight of choppers.

  Adam drops back, taking my hand. “You controlled it,” he says, smiling. “You’ve got this.”

  I don’t reply. The tightness in my chest won’t allow it. He continues after Jude, dragging me on. I grab Seth’s wrist in my free hand as we gain on him. Adam pushes on faster, pulling the pair of us along with him. Finally, we round a sharp bend and onto a grand property.

  An impressive house sits neatly inset into the cliffs. The white brick work is set off by mint green on the shutters and sills of more windows than I can count, and a balcony stretches the whole length of the second storey. Landscaped gardens peter down in various levels until they reach the sands of a small, private bay lined with loungers, fire pits, and water sports equipment. The cliffs curve around the water as if creating a pool with a narrow entrance out to the ocean.

  A figure appears in a white gown on the balcony. It’s a man- a rather large man from what I can see. He waves an arm in our direction before rushing back inside.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The rain starts to ease as we sprint by a line of jet skis and paddle boards. The robed man rushes out onto the gardens. His gown makes him look almost angelic, standing on the lawns above us.

  “Andiamo. Hurry, hurry,” he shouts. His Italian accent is just as smooth as Fabian’s.

  “You heard him,” Jude calls back, running up a paved footpath through the gardens, lugging a red faced, out of breath Maggie behind him.

  The doors to the lower level are pulled wide open. The man stands just inside, ushering us all in. He is an older man- handsome- or at least he was in his younger years. His hair is thick and brilliant silver, yet his eyebrows are a jet black. His skin is a deep tan and leathery with it. He rushes through a large, open-plan lounge and kitchen. Everything inside is extravagant and expensive.

  “Come. Hurry,” he calls, racing up the stairs.

  We follow him to the second floor. There is another lounge area, only this area is floor to ceiling with books, and in the far corner is an array of instruments. The black guitar sends a pang through my chest. Dad had a black guitar. I suppose I have to accept that little things are going to trigger off memories and
emotions, and that’s how life is going to be for me now.

  A hallway stretches off behind the wall of books, but the man continues up another flight of stairs. A massage table and a trolley of oils sit on an open landing space. A screwed up towel lies on the floor. October raises her eyebrows at me. We must have interrupted his massage, although, the masseuse is long gone.

  Double doors lead into a master bedroom. Unlike the rest of the house, the bedroom is dark. Maroon walls, black sheets, and dark furniture give it a seedy, brothel feel. Paintings of naked woman in the throes of passion adorn the walls. I can sense everyone’s awkwardness as they look around.

  The man opens the wardrobe door, pushing the clothes aside, and smacks the back panel until it slides away to reveal a metal door. He types in a code on a small, numbered control pad and the door opens inwards.

  “In,” he says, shoving Yana and October inside. “The polizia are searching.”

  We all file into the small space of what I am assuming to be a panic room.

  Jude shakes the man’s hand. “It’s more than the bloody police, Silvain. Thank you for this.”

  Silvain waves his thanks away. “Hurry, Jude.” He eyes Maggie’s bound wrists, but doesn’t mention them. A doorbell rings, and Silvain’s face turns serious. He raises a finger to his lips before closing us in. “Silenzio.”

  The panic room is cramped, and everyone jostles into one another in the dark. Jude turns on a small television monitor, filling the room with a blue glow. Images of the house pop up in numerous little frames. Frame three shows a group of armed men getting ready to break the doors down. Then, Silvain comes into view, waving his arms to get them to stop. Jude grabs a control and clicks button three. The image of Silvain at the door fills the screen.

  “Can you turn it up?” Fabian asks.

  Jude clicks a few buttons. “What are they saying?” he whispers to Fabian.

  Adam sits down on the floor, and I sit in between his legs. He is exhausted and rests his head on my shoulder. His breath is warm against my wet hair.

  “He’s asking Silvain if he has seen the people in the pictures. I’m guessing they’re of us. He says we’re EVO members who escaped the Hotel Evoluzione on Friday night. They know we travelled in this direction,” says Fabian.

  Silvain flicks through a stack of papers, shaking his head.

  The man in charge runs a device the length of Silvain’s body.

  “It’s a kinetic energy reader,” says Fabian, chewing his nails. “And they want Silvain to donate a saliva sample for EVO testing.” He falls quiet, and then gasps. “They’re going to check the house.”

  Men flood passed Silvain, but the one with the kinetic energy reader holds out a second device and swab stick. Silvain steps aside as a good host should, herding the man into the lounge. Jude hisses at us to keep our mouths shut, and then switches off the monitor, casting us into darkness once more.

  This is it. This has to be the end of the road. I take Adam’s hands and hold them against my lips, kissing his knuckles. He smells of the sea, and I pull his arms tighter around me to inhale all of him. He nuzzles further into my neck.

  Focussing solely on the crackle of electricity I always feel when I link with him, I steady the telepathy in my mind. “Whatever happens, don’t let us get split up,” I say in my mind.

  “No one is taking you from me,” he replies. His voice jingles around my head with such clarity that I’m surprised no one else can hear it. His hands run down the length of my arms, lacing in my own fingers.

  “Don’t let me go,” I say. Even in my mind, my voice betrays me. I start thinking about the TORO beating me in Facility One, my lip bursting from the impact. Adam tenses behind me, and just as quickly, that awful memory is replaced with the image of Adam knelt in front of me, drying my legs in the shower block. Then, it switches to him leaning over me in the cell; the first time I ever saw his whole face when he smiled.

  “No one is taking you from me,” he says, firmer.

  I believe him. He moves his thumbs in circles on my palms.

  “You would do this in Facility One.” I raise our arms slightly, so I can see his strong hands. “This was the only thing that got me through.”

  Footsteps hurry into the bedroom. I instinctively hold my breath. The wardrobe is opened, and I squeeze my eyes closed, turning into Adam. One hand holds my head close to his chest, whilst the other keeps my hand in a vice like grip.

  “Don’t let go,” I whisper again, my lungs closing up.

  “Never,” he replies.

  I nod, but I feel like I’m suffocating. I need to stand, to get out of the room before my panic overwhelms me. A ringing in my ears grows louder as my heart races so fast it could conk out at any minute. I can’t go back to the government- to Towley.

  “Breathe,” Adam whispers in my ear.

  The coat hangers clang as the wardrobe is searched, and then the door is slammed shut.

  “Chiaro,” says a voice, and the footsteps leave the bedroom.

  “Clear,” Fabian translates, quietly.

  A collective exhale resounds in the darkness. I flop against Adam, panting as if I have just run a marathon.

  I sense his aura- psyche- whatever you want to call it, and use everything in me to link again. “I can’t go back.” My chest feels like it’s on fire. “Towley knows what I can do now.”

  Adam lifts my face to his, his hands holding my head against his own. “I will kill all those guys before they get their hands on you.” He places a hand over my heart and it feels strong and sure.

  I imagine his hand slowing my heartbeat. His deep breaths on my face regulate my own breathing. I know he means what he says, and fifteen days ago, I would have been alarmed at a man threatening to kill for me, but now, it’s exactly what I need to hear. How life can change in such a short space of time.

  The glow from the TV illuminates us once again. The volume is muted, but we can see Silvain having the inside of his mouth swabbed. The man takes the swab stick and pushes it into a small machine. He waits a few moments until the light flashes green. The men file out of the house, and the swab man shakes Silvain’s hand, giving him a card. Silvain stands at the door until they leave and closes it behind them. Looking directly at the camera, he puffs out his cheeks in relief.

  “Is he EVO?” Emiko asks. “The device didn’t detect him.”

  Seth shakes his head before Jude can reply. “I didn’t sense h-h-him.”

  “Why is he helping us?” asks Cooper.

  Jude ignores the questions, but I wonder the same thing. Why would he risk everything to help us? The way Jude thanked him tells me that he is not being blackmailed or threatened.

  Yana’s pale face sits alone in the corner, her eyes wide and unfocussed. She must sense my gaze for her eyes flit in my direction.

  “I thought we were going back,” she says, her voice flat and quiet.

  I reach over and pull her to me. Adam wraps his arms around the both of us, cocooning us against his chest. All eyes are on us, but they have no idea. They really have no idea.

  I’m the first to exit the panic room, barging Cooper out of the way in the process. He huffs his annoyance and opens his mouth to say something, but thinks better of it after looking at Adam.

  “Come get a drink,” says Silvain, ushering Jude out of the bedroom and back down the stairs.

  We follow them back to ground level. Silvain pours out twelve tots of brandy, passing them along the kitchen counter. I’m physically shivering, my teeth chattering from my wet clothes and adrenaline. Adam puts a hand on my shoulder and I jump feet.

  He hands me the glass. “Drink it,” he says, gently.

  My hand shakes as I tip the dark liquid into my mouth. I scrunch my face in disgust; it tastes how nail varnish smells, but I will myself to swallow it. Adam smirks at me before downing his own.

  I catch a look at myself in the mirror above the breakfast bar. My hair is straggly from the sea water and my skin paler than u
sual. How is that even possible? My lips have a blue hue and tremble from the chill I feel.

  Jude surveys me. I pretend not to notice the concerned look he shares with Adam. They’re both worried about me. Adam’s lips purse like they do when he’s thinking, and his brow is lowered. I’m not surprised by their concern after the quivering mess I just became in the panic room. I didn’t know I could be affected like that. I’ve not had time to think about all that happened at Facility One, but the thought of being at Towley’s mercy makes my blood run cold.

  Adam walks back to Yana and Seth with their drinks, bypassing Maggie. She has been shoved in a corner with Fabian watching over her. I want Adam close by, right at my side, and I don’t like feeling this vulnerable and weak. More importantly, I don’t like that it’s Towley who is making me feel this way.

  I hug myself in an attempt to warm up. Wheeler pulls me against his chest with Emiko. Instantly, I feel warmer as the air around us heats up. I breathe in deeply, allowing the air to warm me from the inside.

  “Thermokin, remember?” he says, seeing my amazement. “Better than a boring, old Electrokin, eh?” He winks at Adam and takes a punch to the arm.

  Emiko rolls her eyes at the pair of them.

  “So, what now?” Adam asks Jude.

  Jude holds up his hands and shrugs. Way to make me feel confident, Unc.

  “What is that?” snaps Cooper. “You don’t know? You’re supposed to be the plan man.”

  Jude leans back against the wall, taking the cigar Silvain offers. “Since when have I been the damn plan man? Do you think I can shit wonders and piss miracles?”

  “Nah, but you were quick enough to drag us into your coop against Gabe.”

  “If you haven’t noticed, the situation has changed and the shit has hit the fan.” Jude speaks fast and his lips barely move from hissing the words at Cooper.

  “Basically, you’re saying we’re no better off with you than if we were to go it alone?” Cooper snipes back.

  Jude lights the cigar and takes a long drag. “I ain’t going to tell you what to do. You’re a big boy, Coop. Plus, I couldn’t care less where you go.”