“Now can we go?” she yelled, grabbing Emily’s hand and half dragging her out the door. Zero lunged at Reece again, throwing him up against the kitchen counter. Reece reached around behind himself, grabbed his vodka bottle, and smashed it over the other man’s head. Keila could almost cry at the thought of all that wasted booze.
“Go!” Reece shouted at them. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Keila jerked Emily forward and bolted out the door. That was the part she knew how to do. Run. She gave Emily no time to protest as she hauled her down the stairs.
3
“Who the fuck was that?” Emily almost screamed as Keila half pulled, half pushed her down the stairwell. Another loud thump echoed down from Emily’s apartment. Keila grabbed her hand as they dashed out of the building’s front door and onto the sidewalk.
“We can’t just leave Reece back there on his own!” Emily stopped dead in the center of the path. She was clearly mad at Keila, but at the same time, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
Keila stepped up and grabbed Emily’s shoulder, resisting the urge to shake her back into action. “Get over it and start moving. If we go back there, we’ll all be dead. Zero won’t hesitate to kill us.”
“But Reece—”
“Isn’t who Zero is after. Besides, he’s an FBI agent. If he can’t take care of himself, then he’s in the wrong profession. Now, let’s go!”
She definitely wasn’t winning any points with Emily, but she didn’t have time to baby her at that moment, nor would that change anytime soon. It was a war, one where lives were taken, and Keila had come too far and tracked Emily for too long to lose her to matters of the heart. She liked what she’d seen of Reece so far, and it would be a damned shame if Zero broke any of that gorgeous body, but she sure as hell wasn’t putting her entire mission in jeopardy just to save him.
“You might as well stop running, Keila. You’re only going to lose,” Zero’s voice boomed behind her, followed quickly by the heavy thudding of his combat boots on the stairs. It was time to go. Keila wrapped her fingers around Emily’s elbow and yanked, pulling her down the road and darting down the alley that ran alongside Emily’s apartment. Emily kept up with her, but her eyes were wild with hysteria as they entered the alley, even in breaking daylight. Keila knew the reason why, but she had no time or breath to deal with it right then. They came out the other end of the alley and ran down the next street, crossing the road again to another alley, the one she knew Emily had nearly been killed in. If there was one place Zero wouldn’t look for them, it was there. As Keila took a step into the alley, she felt Emily’s feet stop again.
“It’s okay,” Keila said, letting go of Emily’s elbow and throwing her arm around her shoulder as Emily shook with fear. Her green eyes searched every section of the alley. Keila didn’t have to imagine what Emily was thinking; she’d seen it in Emily’s dreams.
“He’s not there now, he’s gone,” Keila whispered to her as she guided her into the alley and behind a large dumpster parked halfway down. Keila was willing to bet the city had placed it there to cover up the blood stains of the woman who had died in Emily’s place. Typical. At least Emily didn’t have to see that. Keila doubted she’d have any hope of getting her to stay if she did.
Emily crouched down beside Keila in the alley, shaking quietly in her arms. She was silent for several minutes before she spoke again.
“I can’t believe this is all happening again. Is it always going to be like this?”
Keila had no idea if Emily could handle what was really coming. Perhaps she should let her stay in blissful ignorance for a few more days. She dismissed the idea as soon as it came to her. It was happening. Zero was there and the sooner Emily got used to the idea that there was more going on than some jacked-up serial killer chasing her through Chicago’s streets, the sooner she could be useful.
“No, it won’t always be like this. It’ll be worse.”
Emily’s eyes bulged and her eyebrows hit her hairline, before her face drooped in defeat. “I can’t do this. I can’t run anymore.”
“You can, and you will. Trust me, you don’t ever want that guy catching you.”
“Who was he?”
Keila sighed, taking a deep breath and immediately regretting it as she inhaled the hideous smells from the dumpster. “His name is Zero, and he’s part of the experiment that made you and me what we are. Only difference is that it didn’t work quite so well on the males. They didn’t discover that until after. Now he’s useful for nothing other than an attack dog, trying to destroy the thing he once aspired to become. Juan was one, too, before he went off the rails.”
“But what the hell does he want from me?”
“He follows me somehow. He knows I’m looking for more like me, like us, and every time I find one, he attacks and either kills them or takes them somewhere.”
“Where?” Emily asked in a hushed whisper.
“The corporation he takes orders from. I have no idea who they are, but they’re definitely not someone you want to meet. Juan was another of their lap dogs, before you took him out. Now they’re definitely going to want you.”
“And what about the others you’ve found, the ones Zero didn’t get?”
Keila’s heart sank, and she looked away. She was never going to give up fighting. She had to fight, but every time she thought of what had been lost along the way, guilt settled in her chest like a large, unmovable boulder.
“There aren’t any.”
“What?”
Keila looked up and met her eyes. Emily’s eyes were deep green and almost hypnotic when you stared into them.
“There’s never been anyone else. Emily, you’re the first of the others that’s managed to escape. They’ve wanted me for a long time, and now they know about you, too.”
“What the hell did I ever do to them?”
“There’s a lot that you don’t know yet, Emily. Right now let’s just try to get out of here alive. I’ll tell you everything when I can.” Keila silently pleaded with Emily to stay calm, stay hidden. So far, all was quiet in the alley, but she didn’t know how close Zero was. She didn’t dare hunt for his mental signature again until they were somewhere secure.
Emily took a deep breath and pulled her shaking hands into fists. “Okay. But I’m not going anywhere without Reece. We have to go back for him.” There was resolution in Emily’s eyes.
“Fine, we’ll go get him, but only if it’s safe.” Keila peered around the edge of the dumpster, finding an empty street. It was still early enough that the usual morning Chicago crowd hadn’t packed the streets. She and Emily inched their way along the alley, hugging the buildings and staying in the shadows all the way back to Emily’s apartment.
That was why Keila avoided long-term relationships. When love and orgasms were on the table, common sense committed suicide. Or maybe she was just broken, too, in a different way than Juan and Zero. Keila envied Emily’s intimacy with Reece. It was something she’d never allowed herself to feel. Anytime she’d allowed herself to relax, it had nearly cost her her life. In a way, she felt sympathy for Emily. She was learning the same lessons that Keila had learned about what happened to those in life you loved. It had to be harder in a way. At least Keila had been forced to learn them when she was still a child. Emily had grown up thinking the world was a safe, nurturing place, only to have to learn the real facts of life when the wolves came to the door.
And there she was, trailing along with Emily in an attempt to save her knight. Keila snorted at the irony of Reece’s surname. That was the thing about fairy tales: they gave girls the hope of a bright and rosy life filled with unicorns and rainbows. Reality was something else entirely, and it was Emily’s turn to learn how to deal with it.
Keila paused at every cross street, forcing Emily behind her, and her eyes darted into every hiding place, before they both walked out into the open. When they reached Emily’s apartment, Keila didn’t need to open the door. It was lying in p
ieces inside the apartment. Zero had one mode only: leave nothing standing.
“Holy shit!” Emily exclaimed.
Keila was not the least bit surprised. No, scratch that; she was a little surprised to see Emily’s apartment walls were still intact. “Welcome to what your life is going to be like from here on in.”
“Reece!” Emily sprinted across the floor, dodging broken pieces of furniture and glass littering the floor. Keila ignored her, and started clearing each room, one by one. She was less concerned with seeing if Reece was as broken as Emily’s possessions than she was with making sure they were alone. Once she was sure the apartment was otherwise empty, she made her way back to the kitchen. Emily was kneeling on the floor, fussing over Reece, who lay on the cold floor tiles, his face bloody and his shirt ripped. Keila nudged him with the tip of her shoe.
“Are you dead?” she asked nonchalantly, earning a glare from Emily and a groan from Reece.
“Yay! He lives. Now let’s get the fuck out of here.”
4
Keila knelt down on the floor next to Reece, ignoring Emily’s look of surprise when she ran her hands across his chest and then his legs, looking for signs of injury. Any other time and she’d enjoy it a little more, but she was too nervous that they were going to be surprised by less-than-friendly visitors again. Plus for all his good looks, Reece was Emily’s man. That and he’d been kind of a jerk to her, not that she could really blame him. Reece had rolled himself onto his back, so she wasn’t too concerned about spinal injuries. The gash on his head was another matter, though. Reece batted her hands away when she tried to examine it.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just tell me, what the hell was that?”
“By ‘that,’ I assume you mean the man who just about beat the life out of you?”
Reece’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah. That.”
“That was your introduction to Zero. If you’re extra unlucky, you’ll get to see him again sometime.”
“And if I’d rather avoid running for my life again?” Emily asked, her voice quiet.
“Then you both need to come with me, right now. Though that won’t really stop the running part”—Keila wrinkled her nose—“but it’s got a fair chance against the death part.”
“And we’re just supposed to trust you because, what?” Reece pulled himself into a sitting position. Keila recognized all too well the anger creeping back into his eyes. It was what she saw in the mirror every day when no one else was looking.
All right, time to try seriously to get him on her side. She grinned. “The fact that I didn’t completely trash your apartment and try to kill you is a really great start.”
“How do I know we weren’t just caught in your crossfire?”
“I get that you don’t know me, but I think I’ve proved my case. Well, really Zero proved it for me. He nearly beat you unconscious while I meanwhile ran with Emily and kept her safe. I can protect her, and believe me, they will be back for her. I’m extending that invitation to you, too, as she’s clearly not going to leave you behind. Loyalty, or just stupidity on her part, but we need to get moving.”
“I’m standing right here!” Emily exclaimed, “and I don’t want to move again.”
“The way I see it,” Reece said, grunting as he pushed to standing, “Zero followed you into town, and so he may as well follow you out, too.”
“For a man who’s supposed to be smart, you’re really not getting it. Are you sure Zero didn’t beat a few brain cells loose?” Keila sighed before continuing, trying to dampen down her rising frustration. “Zero didn’t follow me, he was already on his way, tracking the same signal I was,” Keila pointed at Emily, “Her. Juan was, too, and there will be many more. They won’t stop until they have her, or kill her. You’re just cannon fodder.”
“Why is she so important?” Emily turned her glare to Reece. “Hey, I love you, Baby, but this is a lot to take in.”
“She’s the first of us that I’ve ever been able to communicate with. Without opening our mouths, that is. Whatever is causing that, they’re going to want it. Bad.”
Emily sank to her knees on the floor. Keila could almost feel the confusion and pain Emily was saturating the air with, but she couldn’t help that. Unfortunately, it was not likely to be the last time.
“If she goes with you, then what?”
Emily’s eyes widened. “I’m not going anywhere without you, Moron.”
“Emily, I can hold them back. Keeping you safe is all that matters.”
“But, Reece—”
“I have a safe house,” Keila interjected, “where you can both go. I won’t stay with you, it’s too risky, but I get the feeling that you’ll protect her.”
And he would. Reece would give his life for Emily; Keila knew that. She couldn’t even imagine what that would be like, to be so embedded in someone’s heart that your life mattered to them more than their own. She watched them look at each other, tilting heads and making small expressions, as if they were having a silent conversation. A sense of intimacy washed over Keila so strongly that it almost forced her to turn her back. Before she could become overwhelmed, she left the room. After walking into what used to be Emily’s bedroom, she dug an overnight bag out of the destroyed closet and started filling it with whatever clothing was still mostly in one piece. When she returned, Emily and Reece were sitting on the floor, Reece leaned up against a kitchen cabinet with Emily’s back pulled to his chest.
“This is never going to be over, is it?” Emily asked Keila, tears swimming in her eyes. Reece had managed to find them both jackets and shoes, but the bruises which were already turning purple on his face could not be hidden.
“You look like crap,” Keila pointed out as he slipped on a ball cap.
“Gee, thanks. I feel like I just wrestled a semi truck and lost,” he took Emily’s hand and slipped his gun in his waistband before following Keila to the door.
Walking out of the destroyed apartment with Emily alive by her side, Keila felt like she’d finally gotten one foot up in the war. Her victories didn’t come very often, and so when they did, it was huge. All she had to do was make it to the safe house without getting anyone killed.
5
“Do either of you have a car?” Keila asked as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. Reece look at her as if she had lost her mind.
“You didn’t have a plan to get us out of here?”
“Listen, G-Man, some people have a reason to stay off the grid. There’s very little perks in my line of work. Mostly there’s just bullets being shot at your ass while you run away. There’s no health insurance, and definitely no vehicle. That said, if we can find a cab, you’re paying.”
Reece rolled his eyes. “I assume the bus is out of the question?”
Keila glared at him, and Emily chuckled. Reece smiled at her, clearly glad to see her quiet depression break. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Yeah, let’s stand around on the street out in the open and wait for a bus. By all means, go right ahead. Just be thankful I’m not making you pay for accommodation.”
Reece walked out onto the road and hailed a cab while she and Emily stayed shadowed in her apartment’s exterior doorway. A taxi was the best mode of transportation under the circumstances. The only car she could see parked anywhere nearby was Reece’s government-issue sedan. Not only would they stand out by a mile, it would also be far too easy for anyone with moderate skills—or a lot of money—to track. A cab pulled up to the curb, but as she and Emily stepped out onto the street, Keila’s senses started tingling, every nerve twitching. She slowed her steps and then turned around, sweeping her eyes across the street. She let her mental beacon out to play, but couldn’t find a soul; no Zero nor his usual band of puppets.
“Something’s wrong,” Emily said, before Keila was able to utter a word. Reece’s expression turned guarded, and he pushed Emily behind him and into the cab. Shit, they had to get out of there before he pulled his gun in the street.
“We’re being watched, but I can’t pinpoint who,” Keila said. They needed to lose the tail, and fast, or she’d lead them straight to her safe house.
“Where are we going?” Reece asked.
“West of I-94,” she responded vaguely. Their eventual destination wasn’t nearly as important as getting off that street was. Besides, Keila had learned the hard way to never share any information unless you absolutely had to. Reece and Emily would find out where they were staying when they got there—away from the prying eyes she could feel rushing over her skin even as she stood at the door of the cab. She stepped into the back seat of the cab with Emily, leaving Reece to ride up front.
Keila blew out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding when the taxi pulled away from the curb without incident, but as they left Emily’s street and pulled out into downtown traffic, the tingling feeling on her skin never abated. She watched as Reece twisted around in his seat, looking behind them. Well, it looked like the G-Man had a working spidey-sense too. That could come in handy.
“Does that black SUV look familiar to you?” Reece asked. Keila looked out the back window. A van was following the cab, and they were pulling closer even as Keila stared. They weren’t trying to hide.
“They’re not trying to blend in,” Reece said, echoing her thoughts. “So either they’re police about to arrest you, or someone who’s on a mission to find you and doesn’t care if you know it.”
Keila would bet her life that the van behind them was the latter. In a way, she was. So much for her small victory. It wasn’t even breakfast time yet and she could do with a large drink, but she had to lose the tail first. A plan started to form in her head, but it was quickly jolted from her brain when Reece grabbed the wheel of the car and turned it sharply to the right, shocking everyone, including the driver, who shouted loudly at him in a language Keila couldn’t understand.
Keila (Dreamcatchers Romantic Suspense Series Book 2) Page 2
