Drifter

by Leslie Georgeson

  They were breaking in.

  There was no way out.

  Panic set in. Kate started to hyperventilate.

  Ronin’s not touching me. He’s not. I won’t let him.

  Oh, Mitch, where are you?

  You need to hide, Kate. Use your gifts to escape.

  It’s the only way out.

  The door crashed in, banging against the wall. Three soldiers burst into the room, the first one tripping into the nightstand and sprawling forward onto the floor.

  Kate closed her eyes and imagined herself as part of the wall.

  She held her breath.

  And waited.

  The soldier who had tripped over the nightstand jumped to his feet. The three men searched the room, flipping over the mattress and tossing blankets aside, though there was really no place to hide.

  “There’s no one here.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. How did she put a nightstand in front of the door if she wasn’t in here?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Better tell Ronin she’s gone. He’s going to be pissed. He said he was going to let us all have her tonight.”

  “Shit, man. I was wanting some of that sweet piece of ass.”

  Kate held her breath, stood as still as possible, until the men all strode from the room.

  The breath whooshed out of her lungs and she stumbled forward. Mitch had said the camouflage only worked for a short period of time. Kate had never had the chance to experiment with how long she could do it. She didn’t want to find out in the middle of a dangerous situation.

  She had to get out of here. She couldn’t wait for Mitch. If the soldiers returned, they might catch her. And if they caught her, Ronin would let them have their way with her.

  Her heart pounding harder, louder, Kate peered out in the hallway. The soldiers had just reached the bottom of the stairs and strode toward the dining area, where Ronin was probably waiting.

  Kate darted down the stairs.

  When she reached the bottom, she imagined herself as part of the wall behind her and stood perfectly still.

  People passed by her, around her, but no one saw her. No one could see the skinny, dark-haired girl blending into the wall behind her.

  Ronin’s voice boomed from the dining room. “What do you mean she’s gone? Find the bitch!”

  Kate raced for the front door of the building, her heart beating so fast she was afraid she would have a heart attack right then and there, and collapse before she got away.

  “There she is! Get her!”

  Boots clumped across the wooden floor as many pairs of feet thundered after her.

  “And find Mitchell, that fucking traitor!” Ronin shouted. “He’s the one who helped Ethan escape! That motherfucker is mine!”

  Her heart in her throat, Kate reached the door and flung it open. Her breaths coming in quick pants, she burst out into the dark night.

  And ran smack dab into a hard, male body.

  She gasped and fell backward, landing hard on her ass.

  “Shit. Kate, are you all right?” Mitch knelt before her.

  “They’re coming,” she panted out. “They know it was you. We have to go. Now!”

  Mitch yanked her to her feet just as the door jerked open behind her. Grabbing her hand, Mitch pulled her across the yard toward the acacia thorn fence.

  Kate stumbled and fell, tripping over something in the dark yard.

  “There they are! Get them!”

  Mitch yanked Kate back to her feet and dragged her after him. “Stay with me, Kate. We’re almost there.”

  Kate stumbled after him, running as fast as her legs would allow.

  The soldiers thundered behind them, their shouts and curses echoing across the yard.

  Mitch slid to a halt at the edge of the fence. He let go of Kate’s hand and pried the gate open.

  The soldiers surrounded them. Ronin strode forward, marching straight for them.

  Breathing heavily, Mitch dragged Kate into his arms.

  “Wrap your arms around my neck and hang on tight. Oh, and you might want to close your eyes.”

  Kate did as he suggested, holding on to him and squeezing her eyes shut, fearing this was the end.

  “I can’t look anyway,” she whispered, her words shaky with terror. She buried her face against his neck. “I can’t watch them kill you.”

  Mitch chuckled. “You underestimate me, sweet Kate. I’m not about to die. And neither are you. We’re going for a ride.”

  Kate jerked her eyes open. “Are we teleporting?”

  “We’re going to try. It worked with Ethan, so hopefully it will work with you.”

  “Stop him!” Ronin shouted. “Don’t let him get through the gate!”

  Kate had the sudden sensation that she was moving, like on a roller coaster she’d ridden as a child.

  Then she felt like she was spinning.

  Spinning.

  The movement was faster.

  Faster.

  Like a sprinting cheetah.

  Oh my God, Mitch was teleporting!

  With her!

  Kate opened her eyes.

  Trees flashed by, their branches barely visible in the darkness.

  She tilted her head back.

  The moon soared overhead.

  Stars teased her with quick blurs in the night sky.

  She giggled.

  “This is fun!”

  Mitch huffed. “For you, maybe. I’m doing all the work. Try to hold still or I might lose my concentration.”

  They paused near a tree. Mitch scanned the darkness around them.

  “Ronin can teleport too. We can’t rest for long or he’ll find us. Ready?”

  Kate nodded. She tightened her arms around his neck.

  “Let’s go.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Ronin was following them.

  Mitch could sense Ronin’s presence somewhere close by. A drifter always sensed another drifter, and the more powerful the drifter, the more powerful his senses. Mitch had pretty acute senses, and his empathy made it possible for him to sense things others wouldn’t notice, such as negative energies and emotions.

  Not only was Ronin coming after them. He was pissed. Mitch could sense the anger radiating off Ronin. It was a fury unlike anything Mitch had sensed before. Ronin’s hatred was deep and intense. Mitch had no doubt Ronin intended to kill them when he found them.

  Mitch had to hide Kate, and quickly. Then he had to distract Ronin and lead him away.

  He paused near a grove of trees and set Kate away from him.

  “Ronin’s coming. I need you to hide here and don’t move until I come back for you. Use your gifts, Kate. Block your emotions and use the camouflage to disappear so Ronin won’t see you. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  He teleported away, leaving Kate staring after him.

  Mitch could sense Ronin closing in as he bounced from place to place, trying to lose the tail. But Ronin was becoming faster and Mitch couldn’t shake him off. No one else had ever been able to keep up with Mitch when he teleported. Ronin was definitely someone to be reckoned with. All Mitch could do was lead him away from Kate and try to stay alive long enough to get back to her.

  Ronin’s deep voice boomed across the dark savannah. “I’m coming for you, Mitchell. And when I catch you, I’m fucking that trader bitch in every way possible before I kill her.” He snickered loudly. “And then I’m killing you.”

  “You can try,” Mitch returned. “But you’ll never catch me.” He sounded more confident than he felt. He could never show fear. And he would need to block Ronin’s hatred and anger if he were to stand a chance of defeating him.

  Ronin appeared directly in front of Mitch. His arm came forward, his fist slamming into Mitch’s face.

  Mitch staggered backward under the unexpected blow. He’d sensed Ronin’s presence, but he hadn’t been able to pinpoint his location before Ronin suddenly materialized in front of him.

 
Wiping the blood from his lip, Mitch turned to face the beast.

  “Where’s the girl?” Ronin’s gaze darted about, searching for Kate. “I will find her, no matter where she is. She’ll never get away from me.”

  “I don’t know why you’re wasting time chasing after us,” Mitch said. “Ethan’s dead, or nearly dead, so the drifters will be seeking a new leader. I’m surprised you’re not taking advantage of that.”

  Ronin scowled. “Because I have to kill you first. As long as you’re alive, you’re a threat. I want you gone for good, you fucking traitor. You could have had it good as my right-hand man, but no, that wasn’t good enough for you. So guess what, Mitchell? You’re going to die.”

  Ronin lunged at Mitch.

  Mitch teleported away, pausing briefly about a hundred yards away, then teleporting again.

  Ronin followed after him, but he couldn’t quite catch Mitch. He was close.

  But not close enough.

  Mitch had a slight advantage, because he hadn’t consumed any alcohol, whereas Ronin had downed at least four or five mugs of beer. Though Ronin wasn’t a lightweight, the alcohol in his system could cloud his reasoning and make him more susceptible to the drifter inside.

  Mitch teleported again, and again. And again. Ronin was close behind, following him, appearing at every location.

  Faster, Mitch. You’ve got to lose him.

  Concentrating hard, Mitch teleported faster, bouncing from location to location, leading Ronin farther and farther away from Kate. He kept flashing and flashing until he felt himself weakening. He couldn’t hold this up for much longer.

  Mitch paused to catch his breath and let his senses soak everything in.

  A small herd of gazelle grazed several hundred yards east. The muffled sounds of their hooves pawing at the grass and their jaws grinding vegetation reached his ears.

  A pack of hunting dogs prowled north, on the scent of something that interested them. They were noisier, their whines and barks floating across the savannah.

  An anteater scratched at a log to the west, clawing at something inside the rotting wood.

  A pride of lions roamed to the south, silently stalking a herd of wildebeest.

  And suddenly…

  Ronin appeared, a few paces to Mitch’s right, his dark gaze scanning the savannah for Mitch.

  Mitch dropped to the ground and imagined himself as part of the earth. His camouflage slipped into place, blending him into the dirt. He held completely still, hoping his camouflage would last long enough for Ronin to leave. Teleporting for so long had exhausted Mitch and he feared his other gifts wouldn’t be as accessible in his weakened state.

  “Where are you, Mitchell?” Ronin growled. “I know you’re here. I can smell you.”

  Mitch kept his eyes closed and concentrated hard on imagining himself as part of the earth.

  Seconds ticked by.

  Minutes.

  Ronin let out an angry curse.

  Then he disappeared.

  Mitch let out a sigh of relief and rose to his feet. He sniffed the air. Listened. He surveyed the landscape.

  Ronin was gone. Mitch couldn’t sense him anywhere.

  Mitch had to hurry back to Kate. She was vulnerable out here on the savannah on her own.

  But he was weak and unable to teleport at that moment.

  He wanted to follow Ronin first, make sure he wasn’t near Kate.

  So he headed off at a slow jog, sniffing the air, searching for the drifter scent that wafted faintly off Ronin’s body. Finally, he caught a whiff and veered toward it.

  His stamina was about to be tested. He only hoped Kate could stay hidden from Ronin and any dangerous predators until Mitch got back to her.

  Or she might suffer a fate too horrendous for Mitch to contemplate.

  * * *

  A hyena laughed, its eerie call freezing Kate where she stood near the base of the tree. She couldn’t see in the darkness, and that frightened her even more. She hated hyenas. They scared the living crap out of her. The bastards had eaten her baby brother and would have eaten her too if those people hadn’t found her when they had.

  She’d never gotten over her fear of hyenas, and had avoided traveling anywhere out onto the open savannah for the past ten years. The trauma of seeing her brother’s remains would stay with her forever. That and the terror she’d experienced while fighting the hyenas off for several days.

  Another hyena cackled from somewhere close by.

  Then several grunts followed.

  Terror slid down her spine.

  Kate scrambled up the tree, cutting her hands and arms on the acacia’s unforgiving thorns. God, she hated these nasty trees. They were brutal.

  At last she made her way high enough that she felt safe from the hyenas. She found a comfortable position—or as comfortable as could be expected in a thorny tree—and settled back to wait for Mitch.

  Time passed.

  The moon moved across the sky.

  The hyenas shuffled below, making an occasional laugh or grunt.

  Kate’s eyelids drooped. She fought hard to keep them open.

  Mitch had been gone for a long time. Hours. When was he coming back?

  What if he wasn’t coming back? What if Ronin had caught him?

  Kate opened her eyes wide and determinedly shoved the thought aside. She refused to believe that. Mitch had to come back. If he didn’t, she would die out here. She had no idea where she was. He’d teleported so fast there was no way she would have been able to decipher her location, even if her eyes had been open the entire time. Out on the savannah, everything looked the same to her. Miles and miles of endless grassland teeming with dangerous predators. When Kate looked at the savannah, all she saw was death. She saw her parents’ corpses, her brother’s torn and bloody shoe...and the beady dark eyes of a hyena staring at her through the tall grass.

  Kate shivered. She hated being afraid. She was embarrassed to admit that she was terrified of all the things that lurked in the darkness around her. Most of the time she was brave. Most of the time she was tough. But out here, she was a scared seventeen-year-old girl again, trying to elude hungry hyenas and erase from her mind the horror of what had happened to her family.

  Kate didn’t know anything about surviving out on the savannah. After that kind couple had saved her years ago, she’d always lived in the demolished city of Mwanza, close to the fallen buildings and near other people. The thought of being out here on her own scared her to death.

  The hyenas laughed again as they sniffed around the tree beneath her. Why wouldn’t they go away? They’d been down there for hours.

  Kate wanted to scream at them to leave, but she didn’t dare. She might alert Ronin to her presence if she didn’t stay quiet and still.

  Hurry, Mitch. I’m scared. I don’t like it out here.

  A sound came from below, like a rock or something striking the ground beneath the tree. Then again, as if someone was tossing pebbles.

  Kate stared through the darkness, trying to make out the movements beneath the tree. The sound came again: plunk, plunk, plunk. The hyenas bolted away, laughing and whooping as they went, their eerie calls sending chills down Kate’s spine.

  Then Mitch’s glowing golden eyes looked up at her. “Kate,” he called. “You okay?”

  Relief swept through her. He’d come back. He’d chased the hyenas away. Thank God.

  Emotion clogged her throat. She swallowed hard. Tears swam in her eyes. She blinked rapidly as she stared down at him. “What took you so long? I thought I was going to die out here. I hate hyenas.”

  “Sorry. I had to lure Ronin away. I can only teleport for so long and I was too weak after all that teleporting, trying to elude Ronin, that I didn’t have enough energy to teleport back here. So I had to alternate between jogging and walking back here. You can come down now, Kate. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Kate hesitated, staring down into the darkness. “Are the hyenas gone?”

&n
bsp; His eyes disappeared as he turned away to look around. “They’re over there in the grass, watching me, but I won’t let them hurt you.” He glanced back up at her.

  “What’s going to protect you from them?”

  “Kate,” he said patiently. “There’s no need to be afraid. Hyenas have a natural wariness of humans. They’re curious and will check you out, see if you might be an easy meal, but I promise I won’t let any of them hurt you.”

  Kate shuddered. “I hate them. They terrify me. They ate my brother.” She cringed. She sounded like a frightened child. Would Mitch realize she wasn’t as strong and brave as she pretended?

  Mitch was silent a moment. “As horrific as that must have been,” he said gently, “the only way to get over your fears is to face them, Kate. You can’t cower every time you come across a hyena. We’re likely to run across a lot of them on our journey to the mountain. Come on down. I’ll help you.”

  What did he mean by that?

  Come on down. I’ll help you.

  Help her down from the tree? Or help her face her fears?

  Come on, Kate. Don’t be a wimp. Mitch likes strong women.

  So be a strong woman.

  Right now you’re acting like a scared child.

  Be the woman he fell in love with.

  Be the woman you are now. Not the scared girl you once were.

  Kate descended the tree, careful not to prick herself with the nasty thorns. When she reached the ground, Mitch pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Kate wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him. His warmth, his strength seeped into her, giving her courage, making her feel safe. She sighed.

  She stepped back. “What did you mean a second ago? Help me with what?”

  His gaze sought hers. “Your fear of hyenas. I know you’re a strong, brave woman, Kate. Even so, everyone has fears. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t. But you can’t let those fears control you. Especially out here.”

  Kate nodded. He was right. She hadn’t wanted to face her fear of hyenas, so she’d simply avoided any situation that might put her in contact with the beasts.

  “What about Ronin? Shouldn’t we hide until morning?”

  “He’s back at Aftermath. After I got away from him, I followed him discretely to make sure he wasn’t getting close to you. The beer finally started to hit him and he stumbled around for a while, cursing me and you, then he went back to Aftermath. As soon as I was positive he wasn’t coming back out here, I hurried to find you.”